CECE summit to discuss competition in Europe

Representatives from the Committee of European Construction Equipment (CECE) and the European association representing the agricultural machinery industry (CEMA) are to meet with Members of the European Parliament to discuss regulation and competition in Europe at the CECE-CEMA Summit.

Every two years, the CECE-CEMA Summit provides a platform for business leaders from the sector to meet and discuss industry matters with representatives of Europe’s institutions. This year, the event is being held in Brussels on 16 October at the European Parliament.

Opening the event will be Amalia Sartori, Member of the European Parliament and chair of the Industry Committee of the Parliament; and Massimo Baldinato, member of the Cabinet of EU Commission’s vice-president Antonio Tajani.

On behalf of industry, Olof Persson, president and CEO of Volvo Group, and Mr Andreas Klauser, COO of Fiat Industrial and president of Case IH and Steyr, will outline the perspective from the sector and its requests to politics.

A panel discussion between politicians, legislators and industry leaders is planned, looking at the possibilities for a better set of sector-specific regulations.

The panel is expected to explore the question of how to make relevant product legislation more realistic, coherent, internationally aligned and most of all stimulating for innovations and competition, instead of costly and burdensome.

A second round of panel discussions is then scheduled, including Wacker Neuson CEO Cem Peksaglam and focusing on the conditions for keeping a competitive production of construction equipment in Europe.

Specifically, CECE said the panel would discuss the fact that EU Member States want to boost the weight of industrial production in Europe to 20% of GDP by 2020. It said the panel would explore what Europe’s politicians should do for the construction equipment sector to help it contribute towards this target.

At the end of the event, the presidents of CECE and CEMA are expected to sign a manifesto with a ten-point action plan aiming to promote strong industrial production in Europe.

Following CECE-CEMA Summit, the morning of 17 October is to be dedicated to the annual CECE information sessions. These include the CECE Economic Forum, which is expected to put a spotlight on the African market and the opportunities it offers for the construction equipment industry.

Meanwhile, the joint CECE-CEMA Technical Forum is planned to highlight relevant information for upcoming exhaust emission legislation stages, including new requirements for air quality, engine technology, retrofitting old equipment with filters, the in-service conformity of engines and alternative fuels.

The conference is open to company representatives from the European construction equipment and agricultural machinery industry, and invited guests.

For more information about the CECE-CEMA Summit, and to register, go to www.cece-cema-summit.eu at least 14 days prior to the event.