The latest European Semester Spring Package underlines the scale of the challenge facing European industry. The European Commission has warned that 1.3 million jobs are at risk in energy-intensive industries – around half of the 2.6 million workers employed in these sectors.
This comes after around 200,000 manufacturing jobs were lost last year and against the backdrop of the ongoing crisis in Europe’s automotive sector, where major restructuring and job cuts are affecting workers and communities across Europe.

For industriAll Europe, representing six million workers in manufacturing, mining and energy, Europe is facing more than another cycle of industrial restructuring. The loss of industrial capacity risks undermining Europe’s technological capabilities, skilled workforce and strategic autonomy, while increasing social and regional inequalities.

While the European Commission is increasingly recognising the scale of the challenge, the policy response must be strengthened.

A key concern is that CSRs remain predominantly national responses to challenges that are European in nature. Automotive supply chains stretch across borders, while sectors such as steel and chemicals face common pressures from high energy prices and global competition. Better European coordination is therefore essential to prevent growing regional disparities and the fragmentation of Europe’s industrial base.

Implementation also remains a significant challenge. Recommendations can take too long to translate into concrete improvements for workers. The European Semester should strengthen workers’ information and consultation rights and collective bargaining structures, ensuring meaningful involvement of trade unions in anticipating and managing industrial change.

There is also a need for greater consistency in the implementation of CSRs. While recommendations linked to fiscal consolidation often have significant impact, recommendations aimed at strengthening collective bargaining, improving job quality and reinforcing social cohesion need equal political attention and effective follow-up.

Skills policies, although essential, cannot substitute for a comprehensive industrial strategy. Europe needs large-scale investment to accelerate the energy transition, reduce strategic dependencies and create quality industrial jobs. The Semester should help track these investments and ensure strong social conditionalities and European and local content requirements.

IndustriAll Europe is also calling for greater fiscal flexibility and a new SURE 2.0 instrument to cushion the employment impact of the current restructuring crisis.

Public investment must support quality employment and Europe’s industrial capacity. There can be no public money without social conditionalities.
Europe’s deindustrialisation is not inevitable. Through our newly launched Enough is Enough campaign this autumn, industriAll Europe will continue to push for urgent European action to safeguard industry, quality jobs and Europe’s industrial future.