During the Board meeting of Directors of the European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers’ Association, Continental’s Executive Vice President Mr Christian Kötz and Mr Thierry du Granrut, from the Syndicat National du Caoutchouc et des Polymères, were elected respectively the new President and Vice President of ETRMA, effective 1st January 2015.
“The new chairmanship of ETRMA comes at the time of the new EU legislature!” said ETRMA’s Secretary General, Ms Cinaralp, welcoming the new President and Vice-President. “I would like to thank, on behalf of the Board, our outgoing President, Mr Lepercq, who showed strong leadership during the recent difficult economic times and a period of intensive legislative activity”.
The new president, Mr Kötz, started his mandate by relaying the message of the Board to the new European Commission: “There is the need for a paradigm shift: from regulating to enforcing. Only through the enforcement of the very ambitious laws previously adopted, can the industry enjoy a level playing field and maintain its competitiveness”.
The Board also emphasised the need for a trade policy that is balanced, providing real opportunities for export which is needed to foster growth of the industry on the global level.
Finally, the Board stressed the contribution that the tyre and rubber industry has been making to the sustainability of European mobility and economy. From soles to satellites, passing through tyres and other rubber products for the automotive and rail sectors, our industry has been developing high technology products to combine safety and environmental requirements as well as the high performances requested. The tyre and the rubber industry strongly contributes to the European economy – it covers 0.5% of the EU GDP, and provides jobs for about 360.000 people across Europe, making Europe still a stronghold of the manufacturing industry.
With a new European Commission and Parliament, ETRMA looks forward to working with them on these issues to achieve a more competitive, more sustainable industry and policy making.
Polish Tyre Industry Association, which is the only Polish member of ETRMA, congratulates on the appointment to new President and Vice-President!
Source: www.ptia.org.pl