By Martin Banks - 13th May 2009
The significance of raw materials is to every industry and every aspect of life cannot be overstated
Thierry Salmona
The EU has been urged to help safeguard the 30 million jobs in Europe that depend on access to raw materials.
Speaking at a press briefing in Brussels on Wednesday, Thierry Salmona pointed out that the EU regulatory regime had placed an "enormous burden" on the industry.
"At a time of economic crisis, this is probably the last thing the industry needs," said Salmona, the president of Industrial Minerals Association (IMA) Europe.
In order to highlight current difficulties facing the industry, 14 May has been designated European minerals day.
The central event in Prague tomorrow will be attended by Günter Verheugen, EU commissioner for enterprise and industry.
Salmona told reporters, "The significance of raw materials is to every industry and every aspect of life cannot be overstated.
"The construction, chemical, automotive, aerospace and machinery sectors- which provide a total added value of €1.3bn and 30 million jobs - depend on access to raw materials.
"Some 70 per cent of the manufacturing sector alone depends on access to raw materials as do 14 per cent of all jobs in Europe."
He said the industry was facing a "double whammy" - a drop in demand for finished products and a global reduction in working capital.
Looking to the long-term, he welcomed the commission's recent raw materials initiative. This, he said, underlined the need for "immediate, coherent and coordinated" action across different policy areas to deal with challenges facing the industry.
"This has clearly impacted on the industry as it has elsewhere," he added.
"People working in the industry have also had to contend with extreme volatility of prices. All this adds up to a great challenge."
"European minerals day allows us to present the good practices of our industry to the public and to create awareness of the importance of minerals in all our lives."
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