AALEP SUPPORTS INDUSTRY ALLIANCE AEGIS EUROPE

AEGIS Europe brings together nearly 30 European associations representing a broad variety of industries including traditional industries, consumer branches, SMEs and renewable energy sectors, accounting for more than €500 billion in annual turnover and millions of jobs across the EU. This industry alliance, made up of leaders in sustainable manufacturing and social and environmental responsibility, is committed to European manufacturing as the fundamental driver of innovation, growth and jobs in Europe.

A strong industrial base is of key importance for Europe's prosperity and growth. This requires certain and predictable enforcement of the EU’s trade defence system. Fair international competition and a level playing field are essential to guarantee a prosperous European economy.

AEGIS Europe highlights the necessity to effectively address distortions from state-run or other non-market economies, which risk endangering jobs and know-how in Europe’s industrial value chain. In this context, AEGIS Europe advocates that:

• China is not a market economy. Granting Market Economy Status (MES) as requested by China would severely undermine the effectiveness of the EU’s trade defence system and expose the EU market to unlimited Chinese dumping. Such a decision would seriously threaten the competitiveness and survival of many European companies, particularly SMEs.
• The Chinese economy as a whole fails to meet the EU’s technical criteria for assessing MES. Moreover, solid legal analyses substantiate that there is no legal automaticity in the EU granting MES to China after December 2016, particularly if the technical criteria are not met.
• Any unilateral EU decision to grant MES is irreversible. Many of the EU’s major trading partners do not consider that China has achieved Market Economy Status or that any change is automatic after December 2016. Therefore, if the EU were to take such a view, it would result in significant trade diversion effects.

The EU’s trade defence system should remain balanced and effective in the absence of international competition rules and a level playing field.

Associations under AEGIS Europe include:

1. CEC-European Confederation of the Footwear Industry 
2. CEI-Bois
3. CEPI-Confederation of European Paper Industries  
4. CERAME-UNIE- The European Ceramic Industry Association 
5. CIRFS-European-made Fibres Association
6. CONEBI-Confederation of the European Bicycle Industry 
7.  CPME-Committee of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Manufacturers in Europe 
8. EBMA-European Bicycle Manufacturers Association
9. ECGA-European Carbon and Graphite Association 
10. EDG-European Domestic Glass 
11. EFIC-European Furnitures Industry Confederation 
12. EIFI-European Industrial Fasteners Institute 
13. EMPA-European Melanine Producers Association
14. ESTA-European Steel Tube Association
15. EU PRO SUN- The Sustainable Sloar Energy Initiative 
16. EURATEX-European Apparel and Textile Confederation
17. EUROALLIAGES- The European Ferro-Alloys Association 
18. EUROCORD-The European Federation of Rope, Twine & Netting Industries 
19. EUROCOTTON- European Federation of Cotton and Allied Textile Industries
20. EUROFER- The European Steel Association 
21. EUROMETAUX- European Association of Metals 
22. EUROMINES-European Association of Mining Industries, Metal Ores & Industrial Minerals 
23. EUROPEAN ALUMINIUM- The European Aluminium Association 
24. EUWA-European Association of Wheel Manufacturers
25. EWRIS-European Federation of Steel Wire Rope Industries 
26. FERTILIZERS EUROPE- Europe-European Fertilizers Manufacturers Association 
27. GLASS FIBRE EUROPE-European Glass Fibre Producers Association 
28. INTERGRAF- European Federation for Print and Digital Communication
29. TECH-FAB-Europe e.V. 
30. TPF- Tube and Pipe Fittings