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Europe is entering a period of profound instability. Conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, rising tensions in East Asia and the erosion of the rules based international order are reshaping global trade and fueling new energy shocks. Oil prices have risen by around 50% since late 2025, gas prices by 40–70%, adding more than €30–35 billion to Europe’s fossil fuel import bill. Inflation is rising again, while growth and industrial output slow.
Workers already paying the price
In 2025 alone, the EU lost over 210,000 manufacturing jobs, equivalent to 17,000 jobs every month. Germany and Romania saw the largest declines, while energy intensive sectors — particularly chemicals, metals and fertilisers — face mounting pressure from high energy prices and global overcapacity. Capacity utilisation has fallen to 77.8%, well below historical norms, signalling widespread under use of industrial assets and a growing risk of further layoffs. Household energy costs remain above pre 2021 levels, hitting low income households hardest.
A united call for urgent European action
Against this backdrop, the Executive Committee adopted a strong declaration calling for coordinated EU level measures to stabilise energy prices, protect purchasing power and prevent a new wave of deindustrialisation. The declaration stresses that workers must not bear the burden of crisis driven profiteering. In 2025, corporate dividends reached €486 billion, while share buybacks remained at historically high levels — even as industrial employment declined.
A central demand is a fundamental reform of Europe’s electricity market. Despite generating most of its electricity from low emission sources, Europe remains exposed to fossil fuel driven price volatility. The declaration calls for decoupling electricity prices from gas, strengthening regulation to stabilise prices, and accelerating investment in grids, storage and clean energy infrastructure. Energy must be treated as a strategic public good, not a commodity subject to market swings.
A proactive industrial strategy for resilience
The declaration also sets out a forward looking vision for Europe’s industrial future. Europe must rebuild industrial ecosystems, secure strategic value chains and retain the capacity to design and manufacture the technologies essential for climate neutrality and economic security. This includes clean steel, batteries, hydrogen, semiconductors, critical raw materials processing, defence relevant manufacturing and pharmaceuticals. All public support must come with binding social conditionalities and strengthened industrial democracy.
The Executive Committee concludes that only a Europe built on industrial, energy and social cooperation can guarantee security of supply, social justice, climate transition and collective sovereignty.