Post by Tal Shapira

Ahead of the EU Industry Summit and the EU Council on Competitiveness this week, Europe is approaching a moment of industrial truth. I shared my perspective in an interview alongside other voices from the industrial cluster. This weekend’s De Tijd article paints a sober picture. Investment is stalling, operational costs remain structurally higher than elsewhere, and parts of Europe’s industrial base are under real threat. The debate is no longer theoretical. It is about what will still be made here and what will quietly disappear. As Jan Remeysen (BASF) says in the article, you cannot sustain a competitive specialty or fine chemicals industry if you lose the basic building blocks. And as Ivan Pelgrims (EVONIK) warns, hollowing out those foundations is not just an industrial issue, but a societal one: where will future jobs and prosperity come from? At TripleW, with our HQ in the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, we see both the massive opportunity and the fragility of this moment. Europe still has strong clusters, talent and industrial know-how. We are proving that essential molecules can be produced here in a circular way. But even proven technologies struggle when the European cost base and investment conditions remain misaligned. The article is right: these are difficult questions. But avoiding them will not protect Europe’s industry. We call on policymakers and the wider ecosystem to make clear decisions and support them with coherent policy and sufficient capital. This is the only way to ensure a future for European industry. Read the article: https://lnkd.in/exyMY4xw