Dear colleagues,

As the evenings begin to get shorter and cooler, two words are dominating headlines all over Europe: energy crisis. Rising prices and shortages of supply are set to put households under pressure this winter, with the prospect of energy rationing looming for the first time in a generation. And the debate over how to manage energy shortages is causing deep concern in industry too. Proposals such as the Commission’s European Gas Reduction Plan could see supply prioritised to certain sectors, creating uncertainty for companies as they try to plan ahead. This will be particularly felt in SME-dominated industries such as the technology sectors represented by Orgalim, and we will be actively engaging with key stakeholders in the coming weeks to help navigate this critical situation for our industries. 

In this context, it was no surprise that the future of the EU’s energy system was a central theme in Commission President von der Leyen’s State of the European Union address on 14 September, alongside other ambitious plans to safeguard Europe’s resilience. Undoubtedly the greatest challenge facing the EU in the short to medium term will be to effectively tackle the energy crisis and cost of living concerns without compromising Europe’s path to climate neutrality.

As we look ahead not only to winter but towards 2030 and beyond, we at Orgalim remain convinced that Europe’s technology industries are at the heart of the solutions to this challenge. To help find ways forward, we are finalising the policy recommendations emerging from the EU Industrial Forum on advanced manufacturing technologies, which will drive the digital and green transition in manufacturing and will reduce energy and resource use across industries. A well-functioning data economy will be crucial to unlocking these benefits, as we will discuss during our online Policy Exchange on Industrial Data Sharing on 28 September together with the EP rapporteur on the Data Act, Pilar del Castillo Vera – register now to join us. And the conversation will continue at our General Assembly set to take place in Zurich on 16-17 November, where our conference will shine a spotlight on the potential of sector coupling to address Europe’s energy supply challenges - save the date and watch this space for further details. 

Take care,