The European industry needs to adapt its mentality to the new context in which global trade functions; this was the main message Iuliu Winkler, MEP, vice-chair of the European Parliament’s (EP) International Trade Committee (INTA) voiced, Thursday, to representatives of the European railway industry, gathered in Bucharest.
Invited to a panel discussing the competitiveness of the European railway industry, in the context of the internationalization of markets, the INTA vice-chair mentioned the fact that international trade has entered a new era that is closely intertwined with global supply chains. With this new context in mind, as well as Europe’s need to maintain a leadership role on the global market, Iuliu Winkler stressed the need of a shift in mentality of the European industry, to adapt to the new realities of global trade.
According to the INTA vice-chair, the European industry needs to, firstly, identify the necessary instruments to express itself in the European Union, in order to portray its interests in the most transparent manner possible. “Transparency became a requirement one cannot neglect anymore. This is also visible in the pressure for transparency in trade negotiations, processes that, until not long ago, were characterized by discretion. At the EU level, a legitimate activism of citizens, NGOs and groups representing the interests of various categories of citizens is manifested. (…) in the negotiations of these accords there are numerous legitimate interests of European consumers, NGOs, and activist groups. Amongst these, the legitimate interests of the European industry need to occupy a central position”, argues Iuliu Winkler.
According to the MEP, the consolidation of economic growth and job creation, especially for the youth, in a post-crisis Europe, depend to a large extent on the EU’s capacity to finalize the trade and investment agreements currently under negotiates, particularly the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and the EU-China Investment Agreement. The INTA vice-chair further conveyed to the representatives of the European railway industry that the EP is currently witnessing a true battle in the TTIP negotiations. “In 2013, the EP adopted a resolution on TTIP and its contents; it was a balanced resolution, and this is why I hope that the EP, in its new format following last year’s European elections, will manage to maintain this balance”, added Winkler. He mentioned that the political group he is part of, namely the European People’s Party (EPP) is a consistent supporter of the European industry’s legitimate interests.
The railway industry currently provides some 400.000 employment possibilities in Europe, including 25.000 jobs in Romania.