Orgalime contribution to stakeholder consultation energy strategy 2011-2020

Published: 2 July 2010

Policies & Issues:

Energy policy is one of the key issues for European industry and, in this context, the engineering industries play a strategic role in the European Economy. Firstly, the companies represented by Orgalime are major energy consumers. Some of them are highly energy-intensive by nature, and their majority are subject to fierce international competition. This renders them particularly vulnerable to upheavals in the energy markets. In other words, a secure and affordable energy supply is a crucial prerequisite to maintain a level playing field and ensure the competitiveness of the European engineering industries in the long run.

Secondly, Orgalime industries develop the technologies required to provide Europe with safe and sustainable energy in the future, since the engineering industry is an enabling industry and driving energy and resource efficiency on a very broad basis. Europe needs to improve the way it produces, distributes and consumes energy: low-carbon technologies, smart grids and more energy-efficient production processes will determine tomorrow’s energy use. The engineering industries provide the technological solutions to the challenge that the climate change, sustainable consumption and energy security agenda pose. A regulatory framework that fosters innovation and technological development is therefore necessary for Europe to ensure a sustainable energy future and for European engineering industries to stay ahead of their international competitors.

The third factor is that Orgalime industries also contribute to a more energy efficient society. Through innovation and technology development, new and more resource effective products are put on the market. This helps decrease CO2 emissions globally, but it also needs the right framework conditions to do so. There are mainly four sectors of major importance for bringing forward technology solutions in this respect, and where our industries are central in providing modern technology and products. These are energy production and distribution, transport,buildings and industrial processes. Moreover, the ICT sector provides technology that contributes to increased efficiency in all these four sectors.