Recently, the European Commission has launched a new industry policy strategy aimed to drive the European industry as world leader, based on innovation, digitalisation and decarbonisation.
This time, it is just one strategy that reunites all the existing industry sectors and the new horizontal and specific initiatives while clarifying the tasks for each shareholder.
The European industry has over 36 million direct jobs (a figure which includes the manufacturing, extractive industries and utilities industries), playing a vital role in supporting European leadership at global level. The European Union will facilitate the allocation of investments in creating an industry based on criteria related to innovation, intelligence and sustainability, while companies, in turn, will have to adapt to new technological trends, to contribute to social development and to ensure the transition to an economy with a low level of carbon dioxide emissions, the industrial transformation being a drive of launching new opportunities.
The market share of EU exports for delivery of goods and services is constantly increasing and the industry gross value added for EU27 increased by 6.4% between 2009 and 2016. The development of this vital economic sector will be supported by European authorities, as Europe’s reindustrialisation is one of the priorities of the EC whose objective is to increase the European GBP’s share with 20% by 2020.
The strategy’s elements include proposals to establish a much cleaner, well-connected and competitive mobility system, stricter norms on CO2 emissions for automotive vehicles, as well as the elaboration of an action plan to develop an electric transport system.
As in the case of other plans, policies and strategies of the transport sector, the railways come up with their own solutions to meeting mobility, economic and environmental needs.
Since the beginning of the year, 91 industrial associations signed a Declaration to ask the European Union to stimulate the development of the manufacturing industry where the rail industry has a dominant position: the European industry supplies nearly half of the world’s demand for products, solutions and services and ensures 80% of the product demand in Europe.
Innovation, digitalisation, globalisation, competitiveness and the approach of all challenges imposed by mobility trends represent the foundation of a performing rail system, elements that have also contributed to the merger of the two big European companies that will create the giant Siemens Alstom.
When the transaction will be completed in 2018, Europe will be represented by the new company to the large international tenders being the main competitor of the Chinese and Japanese companies. Consolidating the position in the markets where both companies (Siemens and Alstom) are present and the accession of new markets are among the objectives of the European giant. Its main rival is the Chinese manufacturer currently ranking first in the world.
Thus, the world’s rail industry will have two major competitors with the same objectives – development and extension, but with different approaches. In the end, customers that need innovative and sustainable solutions and products will have the final say.
Editorial by:
Pamela Luica
Chief Editor
Railway PRO
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