Wienerberger AG

Expert discussion organized by the Federation of Austrian Industries in Brussels

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Wien (pta020/12.10.2018/12:15) - The EU is one of the world's three most important economic-policy actors, alongside the USA and China. To a large extent, the EU owes this position to European industry, which generates growth, jobs and prosperity. The EU's future success in global competition depends on the development of a long-term industry-policy vision and the implementation of concrete measures, stated the participants of an expert discussion organized by the Federation of Austrian Industries in Brussels.

Vienna - Brussels, October 12, 2018 - The European Union as a location for business and industry must be viewed in a global context. If the EU is to strengthen its competitiveness in relation to the USA and Asia, it needs a long-term industry-policy vision, a consistently implemented strategy and substantial efforts on the parts of all stakeholders. This position was endorsed by Wienerberger's CEO Heimo Scheuch and RHI Magnesita's CSO Reinhold Steiner in a discussion with Barbara Kappel, Member of the European Parliament, and Wolfgang Burtscher, Deputy Director General of DG Research and Innovation, as well as Markus Beyrer, Director General of BusinessEurope, and Gernot Haas, Head of IV's Permanent Office in Brussels, in a discussion organized by the Federation of Austrian Industries on October 11 in Brussels on the topic of "Europe reloaded - the EU's industrial strategy in a global economy".

European industrial policy as an essential component of political initiatives
According to Wienerberger's CEO Heimo Scheuch, there are numerous companies in Europe that are fit for global competition, innovative and future-oriented. However, if the European Union wants to be an attractive location for business and industry, targeted measures have to be taken by the European legislator to strengthen it for future challenges. Apart from the need for a stable and predictable framework for the creation of local added value and local jobs, Heimo Scheuch deplores the absence of a strategic view of the future. "For the time being, European industry lacks ambitious strategic targets. We need a long-term industrial vision: a commitment from policy-makers as to where they want to see European industry positioned not only in 2030, but also in 2050." In times of uncertainty and change, an active locational and industrial policy pursued at EU level, with its positive effects of securing and creating jobs as well as increasing prosperity, has the potential to play a decisive role in helping the EU to overcome the identity crisis triggered by Brexit, notes Wienerberger's CEO. However, "for this effort to succeed, the concerns of industry must become an essential component of the EU's DNA, which means that all political and legislative initiatives have to be checked for their compatibility with competitiveness of European industry", says Heimo Scheuch.