European companies will be the ones that develop the tools and new technology required to reduce our carbon dioxide emissions. This makes it essential that we continue to ensure the competitiveness of our companies, said Fredrik Persson, chairman of Confederation of Swedish Enterprise at EU Industry Days.
– If the EU is to be at the forefront of global climate action, it must ensure that emissions not only decrease and reach net zero by 2050 but also that corporate growth increases at the same time. Only through a combination of reduced emissions with continuing economic growth will the EU become a real role model, capable of inspiring the rest of the world to follow in its footsteps.
This was the clear message emphasised by the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise’s chairman Fredrik Persson, in a panel at ‘EU Industry Days’ which took place on 23-26 February. EU Industry Days is the European Commission’s profiling event for industry. The purpose is to provide an important and visible platform for discussing the current industrial challenges and for developing opportunities and policy measures in dialogue with a diversity of actors. This year, the Industry Days, as with most other events, took place digitally.
The Confederation of Swedish Enterprise welcomes the European Commission’s focus on the green and digital transformations in the Next Generation EU recovery plan. It also supports the goal of making the European Green Deal part of the growth strategy that guides the EU in a more sustainable and greener direction.
Fredrik Persson stressed that if we truly wish to stop climate change, solutions that are unrestricted by national borders will be essential, and that EU joint action will be necessary.
By creating the conditions for companies to flourish and feel enabled to invest in low-carbon solutions in the EU, we can both reduce EU emissions and export solutions that will reduce emissions globally. EU climate policy must also ensure that the business sector remains competitive and prevent carbon leakage. Persson believes that it would be unacceptable to reduce EU emissions by simply moving industries, jobs and companies to other parts of the world.
– Sustainable development, with a clear emphasis on balancing environmental, social and financial factors, should be the basis for decisions on all issues relating to the Green Deal. An international perspective will be crucial to the success of a circular economy. In addition, free trade is a basic prerequisite.
At the heart of any successful fight against climate change will be to ensure a competitive business sector, capable of providing global climate solutions.
– A business perspective must be at the centre if the green transition is to take place. European companies will be the ones that will develop the tools and new technologies required to reduce our emissions, which is why we must always strive to ensure the competitiveness of our companies.
You can watch a video of the panel debate from the EU Industry Days here.