European Policy - vdma.eu

The EU wants to include more products in the scope of CBAM. This means more effort and costs for European companies - a wrong signal in times of growing global trade disputes.

The trilogue meeting on the eDeclaration scheduled for 8 December has been postponed. VDMA is committed to ensuring that negotiations on the final wording are concluded as soon as possible.

The Council must now deliver and ratify the Mercosur trade agreement. After years of negotiations, a clear commitment to free trade and reliable partnerships is needed.

The EU sustainability omnibus package was adopted with the urgently needed adjustments. A strong signal for more legal certainty and practicable solutions for our small and medium-sized industry.

The EU-Commission has published a proposal for a Regulation on the establishment of European Business Wallets. What are the main elements of this proposal?

The EU Commission is taking the right path with the environmental omnibus. It will finally bring real relief for small and medium-sized industrial companies.

The mechanical engineering industry wants to maintain production in Germany and Europe. However, better location conditions are urgently needed to prevent research, production and therefore innovation from migrating away.

With the ResourceEU plan, the EU Commission wants to make Europe less dependent on raw material imports from China. In particular, the development of Europe's own production and processing capacities for critical raw materials is essential in the medium term.

The EU Parliament has taken the right step with the Deforestation Regulation, now it's up to the trialogue. In order for there to finally be planning certainty, the relief proposed by the Commission must be adopted swiftly.

Approximately 40 percent of our exports to the U.S. are affected by tariffs on steel and aluminum derivatives. VDMA is working to find a solution to these trade barriers with our most important export market.

With the Digital Omnibus, the EU wants to tackle three laws at the same time and thus create initial relief for the industry. However, this is not enough to ensure Europe's competitiveness as a digital location.

At the CECE Summit 2025 in Brussels, leaders demanded measurable regulatory simplification to boost Europe’s industrial competitiveness.

The EU institutions have begun trilogue negotiations in order to reach an agreement on the eDeclaration. VDMA hopes that these negotiations will be concluded by the end of this year.

CECE has launched the new platform www.compliantconstructionmachinery.eu, a key resource for customers, users, customs officials, and market surveillance authorities.

The European Parliament has postponed the extremely important reduction of bureaucratic demands on companies (Omnibus I) - a fatal sign for European industry. Nine major associations are calling on EU and federal politicians to find a solution.

The European Commission presented its work programme for 2026. It sets the course for a forward-looking EU climate and energy policy.

Europe must become less dependent on raw material imports. The EU action plan, which aims to reduce dependence on China, would be an important step in this direction. The focus must also be on the European production of critical raw materials.

The EU member states must finally put their commitments to strengthening competitiveness into action. The proposals for adapting the Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) point in the right direction.

The US tariffs on steel and aluminum are a huge burden on the European mechanical engineering industry. They need to be renegotiated. This is because they contradict the spirit of the tariff deal concluded between the EU and the USA in Scotland.

Ahead of the CBAM’s planned extension proposal at the end of 2025, VDMA has updated its position paper on CBAM calling for its abolition.

Courage to act and reliability are crucial in the context of the EU sustainability omnibus package. EU policy must finally implement a tangible reduction in bureaucracy for small and medium-sized enterprises.

The EU-Commission has published the formal withdrawal of the AILD proposal in the EU Official Journal. The VDMA welcomes this official step.

The EU's Apply AI strategy is sending out the right signals: artificial intelligence must be used where it creates real benefits - in the real economy. Mechanical engineering is the linchpin here.