On 24 January WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson joined representatives of the Industry4Europe group to meet Elżbieta Bieńkowska, European Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs.
Ms Bieńkowska convened the meeting to discuss the Commission’s Industrial Policy Strategy with the Industry4Europe group (representing 126 manufacturing sectors). The latter presented a series of recommendations to the Commission on finance, research innovation, and skills training. Dickson explained how wind had grown into a major manufacturing sector in Europe with factories in nearly every Member State, employing over a quarter of a million people, providing 11% of Europe’s electricity. He said access to affordable finance is key to unlocking investment in capital-intensive factories in all sectors. Which means strengthening EU finance mechanisms such as EFSI.
