2015 Ceramic Days & 16th EP Ceramics Forum

European ceramic industry calls for level playing field at annual Plenary

On 1 December 2015 the European Parliament Ceramics Forum (EPCF) met for its 16th Plenary meeting in Brussels. Trade, particularly the thorny issue of whether or not to grant China Market Economy Status, and climate, namely the carbon leakage protection in the reviewed EU Emissions Trading Scheme post 2020, featured on the agenda. The event was co-hosted by EPCF Chairs MEP Paul Rübig and MEP Inmaculada Rodríguez-Piñero, and attracted over 120 participants from EU institutions, the ceramic industry and other stakeholders.

Setting the scene for the event, Vice-President of the European Parliament MEP Antonio Tajani highlighted the ceramic industry’s significant contribution to the target of 20% share of GDP for European industry by 2020. He maintained that a strong industrial policy and a level playing field are crucial for EU to compete at global level.

The first panel, EU Trade Defence Instruments and the non-Market Economy Status (MES) of China, was moderated by MEP Jude-Kirton Darling. Panellists included MEP Rodríguez-Piñero, DG Trade Director Leopoldo Rubinacci, AEGIS Europe spokesperson Ines Van Lierde and Cerame-Unie President Alain Delcourt. The topic, currently under discussion in the European institutions, could have severe economic consequences for many EU manufacturing sectors including the ceramic industry. The question of whether or not to grant MES to China originally evolved out of a subparagraph of China’s WTO Accession Protocol expiring in late 2016. The current debate, however, acknowledges that granting MES is not necessarily automatic and all agree that China does not meet EU criteria to be considered a market economy. While some argue that it is a political decision, the industry urges policymakers not to ignore the economic reality, namely that removing anti-dumping measures would put at least 100,000 direct EU ceramic jobs at risk. Moreover, a recent independent study found that up to 3.5 million EU jobs could be at risk if China were granted MES prematurely. For European industry to maintain and create EU jobs a level playing field is absolutely critical. Consequently, before making any proposal, EU policymakers should conduct a full impact assessment, coordinate with major trading partners and ensure the continued efficiency of the EU’s trade defence instruments, in particular for SMEs.

The second panel, Post-2020 EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) in the context of COP21 moderated by MEP Rübig, looked at the EU ETS review proposed by the European Commission in July. The panel brought together DG CLIMA Head of Unit Hans Bergman, EPP shadow rapporteur on EU ETS review MEP Ivo Belet, Luxembourgish Environment Attaché Christophe Hansen, MEP José Inácio Faria and Wienerberger CEO Heimo Scheuch. The ceramic industry is a key player in the debate on EU ETS with the most installations but less than 1% of the emissions. Speakers agreed that EU ETS legislation post 2020 should include protection measures for sectors at risk of carbon leakage. Although not in the European Commission proposal, the panel addressed the request from some Member States to consider differentiation between sectors in carbon leakage protection levels. The ceramic industry is convinced that this is not the right way forward as it may lead to an unequal level playing field even on the EU internal market. As a highly innovative and efficient sector, the industry actively contributes to the achievement of the EU’s climate targets. But for long-term investment it is essential that the ceramic industry receives fullcarbon leakage protection after 2020. Regarding the ongoing climate negotiations in Paris, panellists expressed their hope that COP21 will result in a strong and legally binding global agreement.

A keynote speech from Stefano Bonaccini, President of the Emilia Romagna Region in Italy, rounded out the presentations. He explored the role that ceramics play in his region, as a sustainable industry with social and economic relevance.

The 16th EPCF Plenary was concluded by thanking MEP Rübig for his commitment as EPCF Chair since 2014 and welcoming the new EPCF Chair and first Chairwoman, MEP Rodríguez-Piñero. Thanks to all speakers and participants for making this year’s event a success and we look forward to celebrating the 17th Plenary meeting on Tuesday, 29 November 2016.

About the Plenary

The European Parliament Ceramics Forum is a cross-party discussion group with the objective of facilitating the dialogue between the European institutions and the ceramic industry on all relevant policy developments. Find out more about the EPCF at www.epceramicsforum.eu.

The Plenary meeting takes place in the context of the 2015 Ceramic Days organised by Cerame-Unie, the European ceramic industry association that includes TBE in its membership. As the preeminent policy event for Europe’s ceramic manufacturers, the Ceramic Days present a key occasion for representatives from all ceramic sectors, experts and policymakers to exchange ideas at sectoral and public events. Members' meetings, including the annual Cerame-Unie General Assembly and sectoral meetings, took place throughout the Ceramic Days from 30 November to 2 December 2015. Find out more about Cerame-Unie at www.cerameunie.eu.

© Triptyque

MEP Gieseke visits German facing brick company

On 3 December 2015 German MEP Jens Gieseke visited the facing brick company Olfry in northern Germany. He took a tour of the brickworks with Udo von Frydag, the company’s owner, and Martin Roth, German TBE member.

Following the visit, they discussed the consequences of the Emissions Trading Scheme after 2020. If the Commission’s proposal is not amended, brickworks like Olfry would likely get only 30% of the allowances for free and not be considered at risk of carbon leakage. For a medium-sized company this amounts to many hundreds of thousands of euros of additional carbon costs per year and endangers its future and that of its 60 employees.

MEP Gieseke was informed that no new brick or roof tile factory has been built in Germany in the last 15 years and in Europe in the last 10 years. Lastly, industry representatives highlighted how important it is for SMEs like many brick and roof tile companies to receive support from MEPs. MEP Gieseke, a member of the ENVI Committee, stated that the Commission promised to raise the industrial share of GDP in the EU to 20% and that the industry should not have to leave the EU due to ETS.

Thanks to Martin Roth, Managing Director of Bundesverband der Deutschen Ziegelindustrie e.V., for contributing this article.

MEP Jens Gieseke visits the German facing brick company Olfry

Commission adopts new Circular Economy Package

On 2 December the European Commission (EC) adopted the Circular Economy Package that includes revised legislative proposals on waste to shift from a linear to a circular economy.

The EU Action Plan for the Circular Economy establishes key actions in the following areas:

• Product design: the EC will promote reparability, upgradability, durability and recyclability of products under the framework of the Ecodesign Directive. These aspects will also be reflected in the Ecodesign Working Plan for 2015-2017.
• Production process: guidance on best waste management and resource efficiency practices in industrial sectors will be included in BREFs.
• Consumption: the EC will include requirements on durability and availability of repair information and spare parts in its work on Ecodesign.
• Waste: For a well-functioning market for secondary raw materials, the EC will focus on the development of quality standards for secondary raw materials and high-quality statistics across the EU.
• Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste: various actions will be taken by the EC to ensure recovery of valuable resources and appropriate C&D waste management. The EC is also developing an EU framework of core indicators for the assessment of the environmental performance of buildings.
• Monitoring circular economy: the EC will use Eurostat data for monitoring purposes. Resource efficiency scoreboard and the Raw Materials Scoreboard have the indicators to assess the progress towards a more circular economy.

The revised legislative proposals on waste establish targets to reduce waste and set a long-term plan for waste management and recycling. This proposal includes the following key elements:

• Municipal waste: common EU target for recycling 65% by 2030.
• Packaging waste: common EU target for recycling 75% by 2030.
• C&D waste: EU target for recycling/reuse 70% by 2020.
• Landfill: Gradual limitation of the landfilling of municipal waste to 10% by 2030.
• Promote reuse and industrial symbiosis.

Further information about the Circular Economy Package is available on the DG Environment website.

First exchange of views on EU ETS review in Council

On 26 October the Environment Council held a first exchange of views on EU ETS Directive revision for the post-2020 period. All Member States agreed that EU ETS and its reforms are the cornerstone of the EU’s climate change policy. In his contribution to the debate, EU Climate Commissioner Cañete underlined that the Commission proposes an evolution rather than a revolution to the scheme. The debate focused around three questions: the degree of reforms, the balance between free allocations to avoid carbon leakage and competitiveness of energy-intensive sectors, and low carbon funding mechanisms.

While Member States agreed that it is crucial to maintain measures against the risk of carbon leakage, the debate focused on the distribution key for the shrinking amount of free allowances. Some EU Members called for a more focused approach to the carbon leakage list, advocating for tiered evidence-based methodology. France, UK, Slovakia and Czech Republic published a non-paper on this aspect. Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands also spoke in favour of targeting mitigation to sectors at genuine risk of carbon leakage. The Visegrad group – Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia – plus Bulgaria and Romania expressed an openness to “discuss the introduction of more allocation categories”. If adopted, this approach to introduce differentiation between the industries at risk of carbon leakage would ultimately mean reduced carbon leakage protection for many energy-intensive sectors (e.g. ceramics, paper, glass, cement, chemicals, refineries, etc.) to the advantage of few.

The negotiations in the European Council, Parliament and Commission are expected to take at least a year or even two. The directive will be adopted with the ordinary legislative procedure (formerly known as “co-decision”).

© The European Union

Fitness check on construction

In the Annex 3 of the Commission Work Programme for 2015, the European Commission (EC) announced its intention to carry out a fitness check on the construction sector. To this end, the EC launched two supporting studies to assess the impacts of EU legislation on the construction sector.

The first supporting study is being conducted by the Italian consultancy company Economisti Associati. It started in May 2015 and aims at estimating the costs and benefits of EU legislation in two policy areas: internal market and energy efficiency. It is focused on construction of buildings (no infrastructure) and construction products and construction-related professional services. The study will only look at EU legislation in force between 2004 and 2014. The list of proposed legislation for further analysis include: Construction Products Regulation, Energy Efficiency Directive, Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, Ecodesign Directive and Energy Labelling Directive. With regards to the Construction Products Regulation, the study will look at the administrative costs/savings linked to the (1) provision of Declarations of Performance (DoPs) to customers and (2) application of CE marking on construction products.

The second supporting study will start in December 2015 and focus on Environment, Health and Safety EU legislation.

At a Construction Products Europe (CPE) workshop on 12 November on this topic, Ms Arantxa Hernandez (DG GROW Unit C1 - Clean Technologies and Products) indicated that some stakeholders will be interviewed and a public consultation will soon be launched. The two final reports are expected in summer 2016. 

EC publishes proposal for EU ETS review

On 15 July the European Commission published a proposal for a revision of the directive on the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) for the period after 2020 as a part of its legislative summer package.

The proposal reflects the ambition to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 43% before 2030. To achieve this target the Commission proposes to decline the overall number of emission allowances at an annual rate of 2.2% from 2021 onwards and fix their auctioning volume at 57%. The proposal further suggests to focus free allocations on the sectors at highest risk of relocating their production outside the EU, known as carbon leakage. Negotiations on the EC proposal will commence after the summer recess in the European Council and Parliament.

Currently over 1,200 ceramic installations are covered by EU ETS. Under ETS, ceramics represent around 10% of installations but only 1% of emissions.

The Alliance of Energy Intensive Industries (AEII), of which TBE (through Cerame-Unie) is a part, published a press release on its concerns about the capacity of the energy intensive industries to remain competitive and attract investment in Europe.

Read Cerame-Unie's position on the post-2020 EU ETS review

2015 TBE Congress, Leuven

Tiles and bricks executives from across Europe met in Leuven, Belgium on 1 and 2 June for the 2015 TBE Congress. The Congress was hosted and organised by the Royal Dutch Association for Building Ceramics (KNB) and the Belgian Brick Association (BBF).

The Congress started on Monday 1 June with the Roofing Tiles Product Group followed by the Masonry Product Group. Members attended the TBE Joint Environmental and Technical Working Group in the afternoon to gain a comprehensive overview of the activities undertaken during the last year. That evening members enjoyed a cocktail and gala dinner in the stunning 13th century Infirmary of the UNESCO World Heritage Begijnhof. The morning of Tuesday 2 June was dedicated to the TBE Executive Committee, BBF Board, KNB General Assembly and TBE General Assembly.

General assembly

The TBE General Assembly presented a good occasion to review the previous year’s actions and anticipate upcoming activities. Thanks to TBE Working Groups, electronic brochures on the advantages of pitched roofs and clay masonry products were prepared for TBE members to distribute at national level and use in meetings with builders and architects. Important developments related to EU climate and energy policy were discussed as was the implementation of Product Category Rules. Additionally, TBE is creating a solid external network that promotes the visibility of the industry by participating in the World Sustainable Buildings Conference and the European Masonry Alliance.

TBE members discussed upcoming activities such as the revision of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) Directive and the study on re-carbonation. Also in the pipeline are the European Commission initiative on additional indicators for the assessment of buildings and the study on the leaching behaviour of clay aggregates.

Internal changes

Internal structural changes were approved by TBE members at the General Assembly. Mirosław Jaroszewicz from the Polish Employers Union of Building Ceramics became TBE’s new Vice-President, replacing Heimo Scheuch, CEO of Wienerberger AG, who held the title of President for six years and Vice-President for one. Pierre Jonnard was nominated the next TBE Internal Auditor (replacing Hervé Gastinel). The following representatives were nominated new members of the Executive Committee: Roland Besnard, Christof Domenig, John Mercer and Wayne Sheppard. TBE also welcomed Magdalena Vallebona, its new Secretary General, who will be taking over the responsibilities of Adolfo Aiello after heading the TBE Secretariat for three years.

Construction debate

A debate on construction took place in the afternoon with a focus on sustainability, a topic that is central to the European tiles and bricks industry. Six panellists representing key stakeholder groups – architects, academia, demolition and social housing – covered all three pillars of sustainability from environmental to economic and social. The industry believes that the scope of a proper sustainability assessment needs to focus on the entire building because construction materials are always used as building elements. Moreover, to gain a comprehensive assessment it is essential to consider the whole life cycle of the building and its elements, up to the recycling and re-use phase.

Following successful meetings, the TBE Secretariat looks forward to welcoming its members to Switzerland for the 2016 Congress on 23-24 June.

2015 INSYSME meeting, Athens

The INSYSME plenary 18th month meeting took place on 23-24 March 2015 in Athens, Greece at NTUA's premises. TBE, a dissemination partner, followed the meeting from a distance by telephone conference.

The first day of the meeting was dedicated to project review with the European Commission Project Officer and the Technical Expert. The second day of the meeting was of more technical nature and the Consortium analysed the status of the project, tackled issues regarding WPs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and planned future activities. The meeting was also be enriched by a visit at NTUA's Laboratories of Reinforced Concrete Earthquake Engineering during the first day.

INSYSME, which stands for “INnovative SYStems for earthquake resistant Masonry Enclosures in reinforced concrete framed buildings”, involves cooperation between national associations, research institutes and companies from seven European countries. For more information, visit the INSYSME website at www.insysme.eu.

INSYSME communication documents

INSYSME partners have developed three communication documents (see below) to disseminate relevant information on the main elements of the project, namely its framework, the objectives and the structure. These documents will be used by the project partners in the relevant meetings and events to share information with interested parties.

• Fact sheet
• Flyer
• Poster

INSYSME, which stands for “INnovative SYStems for earthquake resistant Masonry Enclosures in reinforced concrete framed buildings”, aims at developing innovative systems for masonry enclosures.

For more information, visit the INSYSME website at www.insysme.eu. 

2014 Conference on Research & Innovation in Ceramics

How industry benefits from EU funding

The 2014 Ceramic Days were organised by Cerame-Unie from 1 to 5 December in Brussels. On 4 December a conference on research and innovation (R&I) investigated the role of EU funding in the ceramic sector. 

Just ahead of the EU Competitiveness Council on 5 December which will study the link between R&I and European competitiveness, a Commission official from DG Research and Innovation presented theopportunities available to industry through Horizon 2020.

Speakers shared facts and figures on schemes available under H2020 as well as tips and tricks for seeking EU funding for ceramic research projects. Panellists disclosed their practical experience with EU-funded projects on earthquake-resistant masonry (INSYSME), standardisation in refractories (ReStaR), innovative heat recovery (financed through SILC I and LIFE) and different projects related to silica.

The conference and the various success stories demonstrated the continued need for EU-funded programmes through Horizon 2020.

Read the conference report:

About the Ceramic Days

As the preeminent policy event for Europe’s ceramic manufacturers, the Ceramic Days present a key occasion for representatives from all ceramic sectors, experts and policymakers to exchange ideas at sectoral and public events.

“With high-level speakers and fully booked public events, the 2014 Ceramic Days were a resounding success,” affirmed Alain Delcourt, Cerame-Unie President.

“The ceramic industry, with 80% SMEs and 200,000 direct jobs, is a valuable asset for the EU in terms of growth and jobs. Significant steps towards an industrial renaissance must be taken to ensure a 20% share of GDP for the industry by 2020. To this end, Cerame-Unie will continue to provide expertise and policy recommendations as laid out in our Manifesto.”