European Policy - vdma.eu

The VDMA NRW Executive Board discussed bureaucracy reduction, US tariffs, energy prices and procurement procedures with EU stakeholders in Brussels. The aim: better framework conditions and greater competitiveness for the mechanical and plant engineering sector.

Three political groups in the European Parliament are blocking the urgently needed simplification of sustainability reports. Europe's competitiveness must not become a plaything of ideological interests.

The EU trade agreement with Indonesia opens up the opportunity to improve access to this future market. The EU Council and Parliament should therefore approve the agreement as soon as possible.

The EU and India want to conclude negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement by the end of this year. VDMA would welcome such an agreement, provided that key demands of the European machinery and equipment manufacturing industry are also considered.

The EU has a range of trade policy instruments at its disposal to ensure a level playing field for German and European companies in trade with China.

Two Committees of the European Parliament have approved the negotiating mandate on the eDeclaration. VDMA hopes that the trilogue negotiations between the EU institutions can now begin promptly.

Instead of promoting innovation in the single market, EU digital laws have become hurdles in many places. The EU legislator must therefore use the digital omnibus to fundamentally correct digital regulation.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is building on Europe's industrial strength. To achieve this, however, the poor customs deal with the USA must be renegotiated.

The agreement on CBAM simplification is an important step, but the extension to downstream sectors should be taken off the table. And the technical specifications are still missing.

The EU and Indonesia finalised on 23 September 2025 the negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). VDMA welcomes this, as our export-oriented industry needs new markets.

The planned EU Deforestation Regulation urgently needs to be revised and its launch postponed by at least two years. It is poorly crafted and bureaucracy at its best, criticizes the VDMA in a letter to the Commission.

The EU is finally making progress on the Mercosur agreement. The decision to treat the trade part separately is particularly helpful. Now it is up to the EU Council and Parliament.

The EU internal market for products is regulated by the NLF and its 30 harmonised legal acts. The European Commission is currently planning to revise the NLF. For this to be successful, the focus must be on simplification.

The EU proposes tariff exemption for US products - while punitive tariffs are extended to European machinery. The EU Commission urgently needs to renegotiate; mechanical engineering products must be permanently exempted from sectoral tariffs.

The EU Commission defends the 15 percent "tariff deal" with the USA. But more and more products are falling under the much higher steel and aluminum tariffs. The VDMA is urgently calling on the EU Commission to work towards improvements.

The EU's omnibus package on sustainability is intended to protect small and medium-sized industrial companies from excessive reporting obligations. This goal must no longer be watered down in the European Parliament.

The agreement in the customs dispute creates planning security in the short term and averts an incalculable trade war. However, the agreement also reflects the balance of power. The EU must therefore now consistently strengthen its competitiveness.

VDMA emphasized during its discussions in Brussels in particular the importance of better framework conditions so that Europe can compete with China and the United States.

The first round of negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement between the EU and the UAE took place in June 2025. VDMA hopes that this will result in an agreement to abolish localization requirements, amongst other things.

A restructuring of the EU budget must not mean new levies for companies. That would be an own goal for investments in Europe.

The EU Commission wants to reduce bureaucracy for small-mid caps (SMCs) - for example in the GDPR, the F-Gas Regulation and the Battery Regulation. Larger companies should also benefit - for example through the digitalization of documentation obligations.

When it comes to raw material stocks in Europe, a broad perspective is needed. Stockpiling is one component, the circular economy another.

Legislators must not ignore the reality of everyday industrial life, and this also applies to the EU Commission's Chemicals Action Plan.