EESC highlights importance of Energy Intensive Industries

On 8 December 2011, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) adopted its opinion on "Energy Intensive Industries" (EIIsⁱ), stressing that the products manufactured by EIIs “are the basis for the value chain for all manufacturing sectors, where a large proportion of EU jobs are allocated.”

The following recommendations are included in the opinion:

• Maintaining free allocation for firms “which have already achieved levels of excellence”;
• Incentivising the reuse and recycling of Europe’s materials in Europe, rather than outside;
• Encouraging EIIs to make long term investments in the energy sector.

This follows the Consultative Commission on Industrial Change’s (CCMI) mini hearing on the: "Industrial change to build sustainable Energy-Intensive Industries (EIIs) facing the resource efficiency objective of the Europe 2020 strategy" which was held in July 2011.

More information: EESC Opinion