EU industry leaders call for urgent action to protect manufacturing and accelerate decarbonisation

Industry leaders meeting in Antwerp have pressed EU decision‑makers for urgent, coordinated measures to halt a steady erosion of Europe’s manufacturing base and to secure the finance and regulatory certainty needed for decarbonisation investments.

According to World Cement, Cement Europe backed the Antwerp Call for Action presented to heads of state ahead of their informal retreat on 12 February in Alden Biesen, warning that persistently high energy, carbon and regulatory costs are undermining industrial competitiveness. The cement association urged immediate adoption of EU ETS benchmarks for 2026–2030 that fully align with the EU ETS Directive and its Annex I, arguing that unresolved uncertainty , notably around a newly introduced binder benchmark , is detrimental to long‑term business planning. The organisation also called for an orderly, transparent ETS review process when reform proposals emerge in the third quarter of 2026, to enable multi‑year planning of decarbonisation projects. According to the announcement, ETS revenues should be redirected to sectors covered by the scheme to de‑risk major transformation projects; Cement Europe estimates the sector will contribute between €100 billion and €160 billion to the ETS over the next ten years. (World Cement)

Industry participants at the summit framed those sector‑specific demands within a broader diagnosis of decline. Deloitte’s Antwerp Declaration Monitoring Report, commissioned by Cefic, finds that 83% of key performance indicators have either deteriorated or shown no improvement since the Antwerp Declaration was signed in 2024, attributing the slide to high energy prices, sluggish infrastructure roll‑out and heavy regulatory burdens that together weaken the EU’s industrial core. (Deloitte/Cefic)

More than 500 executives from chemicals, automotive and other manufacturing sectors converged on Antwerp to make a cross‑industry plea for policy action. Speaking to ICIS, BASF Chief Executive Markus Kamieth described the downturn as ‘systemic,’ warning that the continent is losing manufacturing capacity at an unprecedented rate and that short‑term measures alone will not reverse structural decline. The Antwerp Declaration Community , representing over 1,300 companies, associations and trade unions , likewise urged EU leaders to deliver emergency measures to protect high‑quality jobs and translate the Clean Industrial Deal into tangible outcomes by 2026. (ICIS; Cefic)

Calls for immediate policy fixes focused on three interlinked priorities that matter most for decarbonisation: predictable carbon pricing, robust border‑adjustment measures and targeted reinvestment of ETS proceeds. Cement Europe and other industry groups argue that a fully operational Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) must mirror ETS obligations, cover both imports and exports to prevent offshoring, and include safeguards against misrepresentation, circumvention and abusive practices. They say that without such measures the business case for costly industrial electrification, low‑carbon clinker and carbon capture investments will remain fragile. (World Cement)

Business lobby groups and sectoral associations amplified the same message. The European Round Table for Industry urged extraordinary action to complete the Single Market and supply the scale required for Europe’s clean, digital and defence transitions, while the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association stressed the automotive sector’s role as a major employer and investor in innovation, and endorsed coordinated interventions to shore up competitiveness and jobs. Corporate and political leaders at the summit repeatedly linked competitiveness and decarbonisation, arguing that Europe cannot meet its climate goals if industrial capacity migrates elsewhere. (ERT; ACEA)

For policymakers, the dilemma is immediate: maintain carbon discipline to drive emissions reductions while creating investment conditions that keep heavy industry in Europe to deliver those reductions. Industry proposals sketched at Antwerp would increase the visibility of long‑term carbon costs, couple CBAM enforcement to ETS rules and earmark ETS receipts for industrial transformation projects. Proponents say those measures would reduce the risk premium on capital for projects such as electrification, alternative fuels, clinker substitution and carbon capture, utilisation and storage , technologies central to decarbonising hard‑to‑abate sectors. (World Cement; Deloitte)

Not all elements are uncontroversial. Channeling ETS revenues back to emissions‑intensive sectors raises questions about state aid, market distortions and the balance between innovation support and continuing price signals for emission reductions. Likewise, strengthening CBAM enforcement raises trade and legal complexities that governments will need to reconcile with WTO obligations and supply‑chain realities. These tensions were noted by business groups and political participants at the summit, which urged the Commission and member states to design measures that are both legally robust and effective in practice. (Cefic; ERT)

As EU leaders prepare for decision points later this year , including the anticipated ETS reform proposals in Q3 2026 , the Antwerp discussions crystallise a single practical imperative for policymakers seeking industrial decarbonisation: align regulatory certainty, border protections and targeted finance so that the heavy industries tasked with delivering net‑zero pathways can plan and invest within Europe rather than relocate investment elsewhere. Industry representatives said the time for bold, coordinated action is now if the bloc is to preserve its industrial capacity and meet its climate objectives simultaneously. (World Cement; ICIS; Deloitte)