European industry finds itself at a pivotal moment as the EU wants to strengthen its industrial autonomy. Speaking to RTL, René Winkin, director of the Luxembourg Federation of Industrialists (FEDIL), walked through the main opportunities and potential pitfalls of the EU's evolving strategy.
The European Commission's Industrial Acceleration Act, unveiled in March, sets out four main priorities, according to Winkin: driving investment, including by encouraging European stakes in foreign-led projects; simplifying and digitalising administrative procedures; designating special zones to fast-track industrial activity; and putting in place a "Buy European" concept. Winkin was quick to concede that it made no sense to want to produce everything in Europe. Europe, he said, is dependent in far too many areas for that to be a realistic ambition. What bothered him, however, was that in relative terms, Europe was slipping behind. Over recent years, the continent had grown more reliant on Asian and American producers and suppliers alike.
The goal now, Winkin explained, is for a number of more strategic products to be manufactured more strongly in Europe again, either by European companies or by investors from outside who choose to base their production on European soil. The question then becomes whether the manufacturing sits in Europe, and what the quality of what is being produced here really is. "Investment has to be stimulated, also when investors come from outside Europe", Winkin explained. "But in some cases, there should be European participation in those projects." He added that the Commission wanted to speed up and streamline procedures, particularly in sectors regarded as strategically important for Europe.
One key challenge, Winkin noted, lies in defining what makes a product "European". Does it have to be entirely produced within the EU, or is a certain share of local content enough? "It could be easy to circumvent such rules", he observed, voicing caution about how effective the new requirements might end up being.
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77% of Luxembourg residents report being satisfied with their commute from home to work.
77% of Luxembourg residents report being satisfied with their commute from home to work. However, satisfaction rates are notably lower among cross-border workers. While 56% of commuters from Germany and 55% from Belgium express satisfaction, the figure drops to just 43% among those coming from France. On average, Luxembourg residents spend 1 hour and 44 minutes per day travelling. For cross-border workers, journey times are significantly longer, with Belgian and German commuters averaging around 2 hours and 20 minutes daily, and French commuters also spending just over 2 hours on the road.
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