ElvalHalcor backs “Made in Europe”

The initiative seeks to reinforce Europe’s industrial base amid intensifying international competition, geopolitical pressures and tensions in global trade. The principal demand of the businesses endorsing the Declaration is the adoption of policies that encourage production, investment and value creation within Europe.

The Declaration was launched at the initiative of A3M (Alliance of Minerals, Metals Ores and Metals), the French federation representing businesses operating in the mining, metallurgy, steelmaking and metal recycling sectors. It was subsequently placed under the auspices of the French Ministry of the Economy and has garnered the support of hundreds of European businesses.

The Industrial Accelerator Act at the Centre of the Initiative

The “Made in Europe” initiative is directly linked to the Industrial Accelerator Act, a legislative proposal presented by the European Commission in March 2026. The proposal is currently under negotiation within the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament, with adoption targeted by the end of the year.

The so-called Industrial Accelerator forms part of Europe’s reindustrialisation strategy and its broader efforts to strengthen the EU’s strategic autonomy. Its primary objective is to boost industrial activity in Europe and reduce critical dependencies on third countries.

In this context, the proposal envisages linking businesses’ access to state aid, whether funded through European or national resources, to compliance with specific requirements relating to European production.

The debate is particularly significant for sectors such as metallurgy and metal processing, which face international trade pressures and competition from producers benefiting from extensive state subsidies.

The Message on International Competition

According to the Declaration, international competition is increasingly taking place under conditions that the signatories consider unfair, due to tariffs, large-scale export subsidies and the use of the European Union’s dependencies on third countries as instruments of geopolitical pressure.

The text emphasises the need for Europe to strengthen its role as a producer rather than remain merely a large consumer market.

“Europe must be a powerhouse that produces, not merely a market that consumes,” the Declaration states, linking industrial production to wealth creation, economic resilience and the EU’s strategic autonomy.

A key pillar of the initiative is the allocation of public resources in ways that support production and encourage investment within Europe, thereby strengthening the competitiveness of European industry.

Reservations and Critical Negotiations

The Declaration seeks to strengthen support for the European Commission’s proposal at a critical stage in the negotiations. Some Member States have expressed reservations regarding the potential impact of the proposed measures on the EU’s trade relations with its international partners.

The outcome of the negotiations will significantly shape the framework within which Europe seeks to strengthen domestic production, attract new industrial investment and maintain its position in international markets.

For ElvalHalcor, co-signing the Declaration forms part of the European industrial sector’s collective effort to establish an environment that supports production and investment in Europe, thereby strengthening the long-term competitiveness of the European economy.