BASTA - enough is enough, lets get back on track!

This campaign seeks to make Europe a better place for manufacturing. This means creating a legislative environment in which European manufacturers can compete on a level playing ! eld with other manufacturers throughout the world, by ensuring legislation is appropriate, a" ordable and consistent.

CEPI is calling for action to spread the message that Europe needs its manufacturing industry and support to keep manufacturing jobs in Europe.
There are four key elements of the campaign:

1. Reduce red tape: The EU managed to create a staggering 2,314 new regulations and directives in 5 years, while producing 700 measures to reduce the amount of red tape.
2. Help win the global competitiveness race: Europe is competing with countries and regions that have lower taxes, lower wages and more lenient legislation. The Commission must strive for a more balanced playing field for European businesses.
3. Rethink existing policies: There is a considerable price gap between energy costs in Europe and those in the rest of the world; words have to be put into action to create a level playing field on which European businesses can compete and thrive.
4. Focus back on industry: The European Commission needs to bring a dimension of industrial competitiveness to EU policies at an early stage, and keep in mind the importance of the value chain in manufacturing. According to CEPI, incentivising resource e# ciency and innovation, and allowing companies to choose their own methods for doing this instead of micromanaging, will be more successful.

CEPI Director General Teresa Presas explained: “The Basta! messages are meant for the current Commission and the next one. The campaign seeks to make the Industrial Renaissance more concrete.”

Other industry sectors are invited to join CEPI and several have announced their interest in supporting the campaign, which will run throughout 2014.

David Workman, Director General at Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI) said:

“Here in the UK, CPI fully supports CEPI’s call for the competitiveness of manufacturing to be at the heart of government policy. Complex and costly legislation and regulation, much of it emanating from Europe, together with high energy costs, make competing on the world stage increasingly difficult. If manufacturing is to play its part in rebalancing the economy, an entirely new approach is required, based less on punitive legislation and more on incentive for industries such as the paper sector to invest for the future.

The issues raised in this Basta! campaign will form the basis of CPI’s submission to the Chancellor, ahead of his budget statement and in our briefings to candidates ahead of this summer’s European elections.”