President Von der Leyen on the flat glass industry

During a keynote speech delivered at the EU Green Deal Summit on 26 September, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen once more talked of the glass industry and the flat glass industry specifically this time:

‘Glass production is a national pride of Czechia. And rightly so. Europe cherishes these great national industrial treasures. And today, with the Volta project, we are investing in cleaner glass production. We are supporting the electrification of existing flat-glass furnaces so that they can cut emissions by more than 75%. And this is vital to make the European flat-glass industry competitive, also in the clean economy of tomorrow.’

It is very encouraging that the flat glass industry’s efforts are praised and that an innovative pilot project led by Glass for Europe members receive support from the EU innovation fund. The strive for a competitive European flat glass industry in a climate neutral Europe will however require more EU initiatives and conducive policies. The availability and affordability of clean energy sources, the development of recycling infrastructures, the renovation of buildings will be equally decisive factors. All these items are precisely what Glass for Europe will keep focusing on in the next months to make our Glass for Europe 2050 vision ‘Flat glass in a climate neutral economy’ a reality. As announced in reaction to this speech, these are also the issues that Glass for Europe will voice in the upcoming Clean Transition Dialogues announced by President Von der Leyen in her State of the European Union earlier this month.

Glass for Europe thanks President Von der Leyen for these encouraging words, which show that Europe’s flat glass industry is more relevant than ever as Europe moves towards a climate-neutral economy.