CECIMO contributes to the Amsterdam Declaration – creating a smart Europe

During the Industrial Technologies 2016, organised as an associated event of the Netherlands Presidency of the Council of the European Union, CECIMO contributed to the realization of the “Amsterdam Declaration – creating a smart Europe”.

A smart and future-proof industrial agenda as highlighted in the Amsterdam Declaration is crucial for a connected European industry. In this vision, the competitive edge of Europe’s manufacturing relies on a wide network enabling demand-driven and customized propositions. The new paradigm revolutionizes manufacturing industries, increases productivity, fosters industrial growth and modifies the profile of the workforce. With the contributions of CECIMO and other key organisations, institutions and companies, the Amsterdam Declaration now calls upon the European Commission and Member States to work with stakeholders to create an actionable strategic European industrial agenda in order to be at the forefront of the fourth industrial revolution. To make the vision of the Amsterdam Declaration a reality and to take a leading position, bold political commitment, decisive action as well as resources by public and private stakeholders in Europe are needed.

Filip Geerts, CECIMO Director General, leading the discussions on “Effective Innovation Policies” during the Industrial Technologies 2016, adds: “the global manufacturing industry is facing fundamental changes driven by digitization. The digital transformation, laying the foundations of the fourth industrial revolution, provides the European machine tool industry with new business models and great opportunities capitalizing on innovative and individualized products and services produced in small batch. To make the most of new opportunities, we urgently need an ambitious industrial European agenda reassuring the global leadership of our manufacturing industry in the era of digitisation.”

Download the Amsterdam Declaration.