Dear all,

October kicked off with the new crop of candidate Commissioners being put through their paces at hearings in the European Parliament - with no shortage of drama as the designated Commissioner for the Internal Market and industry, Silvie Goulard, was rejected. Needless to say we have been keeping a close eye on proceedings here at Orgalim, working with our members to analyse the emerging indications of Europe’s future policy direction. It’s early days of course, but there was a welcome sense of urgency in the debates around the need for a fresh push to support European industry. While not necessarily bearing the label ‘industrial strategy’, many of the issues spotlighted as priorities - from the digital transformation to the carbon-neutral transition to global trade - will be decisive in shaping how our companies continue to grow, innovate and create value for the EU over the next decade and beyond.

As policymakers increasingly recognise the role of industry in delivering on what matters most to citizens, strengthening engagement will be key. And it’s a two-way street: companies are ever more aware of the critical importance of the right type of enabling policy framework not only at national, but at EU and global level. The inaugural meeting of the Orgalim Presidents’ Board provided a platform to discuss how this framework should develop in the coming years. There was a clear shared view among these business leaders that the global dynamics are shifting - and that this changing landscape requires the EU to play a different role. Active industry-policy dialogue will be needed to create alignment on what that role should be.

Connecting technology companies with decision-makers in Brussels is a central pillar of Orgalim’s mission. Often we do this by physically bringing people together, like at our recent event on industrial strategy at the European Parliament. Or by showcasing how our industries are shaping a future that’s good for Europe - as in the latest edition of our Technology at Heart series. And of course at the heart of our activity is a hundreds-strong network of company experts working with our policy teams to distill our industries’ priorities and translate them into constructive, practical recommendations for future EU policy. The dialogue will continue at our November event ‘Reinventing Europe’s industrial leadership’, set to connect high-level guests from the worlds of industry and policy while honouring European tech pioneers with the presentation of the ‘CTO of the Year Europe’ award. There are a limited number of places still available for this invitation-only event - scroll down for details. We hope to see you there!

Best regards,