The European Apparel and Textile Confederation (EURATEX), on behalf of its 160,000 textile and clothing companies, has called for a strong public-private partnership (PPP) to build a competitive and sustainable future. The call follows European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen’s state of the union, presented yesterday in the European Parliament.
“The Commission President has touched upon a vast range of topics and shown great ambition for a forward-looking Europe. The question remains how to ensure effective implementation of those plans; EURATEX calls for a strong public-private partnership to build a competitive and sustainable future,” EURATEX said in a press release.
“EURATEX welcomes an ambitious Commission, in particular when it calls to strengthen the Internal Market, to invest in digitalisation, to ensure free but fair trade, to enhance our industrial strategy and build up resilience, to insist on the level playing field in relations with UK, China or the US,” the release added.
Such ambitions will help to sustain a competitive European textiles and clothing industry, including 160,000 companies and offering 1.5 million quality jobs. But the question remains how such intentions will be implemented effectively.
“In today’s health and economic crisis, we need a strong European Union, which supports our SMEs to survive, to innovate, to become more sustainable, to grow international. That requires effective measures implemented today, not tomorrow. We have put our ideas on the table, and look forward to discuss how to make them happen,” said EURATEX director general Dirk Vantyghem.
EURATEX presented its “Recovery Strategy” in June; it includes both short- and long-term measures, and concrete “flagship proposals” (e.g. building recycling hubs for waste textiles). Effective implementation will depend on a close dialogue between the EU, its member states and the private sector, and quick decision making.
