David Williams has been re-elected as the President of EuPC for a further two-year term at the Brussels-based body’s General Assembly which took place earlier in this month in Helsinki. Claude Thibaut de Maisières was also re-elected as EuPC Treasurer for a same period. Their mandates were backed in a gathering of 58 delegates including many from the plastics converting industries of Central Europe.

Alexandre Dangis, EuPC’s Managing Director, was able to report on a strengthening of the Association’s membership which now numbers 50 organisations (26 National and 24 Europeanlevel Sectoral Associations). Indeed five national associations were confirmed as new members at the Assembly. These were the Irish, Hellenic, Bulgarian, Croatian, and Romanian Plastics Associations. Several more are waiting in the wings to join once their organizational infrastructure has matured further.

Dangis outlined the current key challenges currently facing the European industry. Foremost is the competitiveness of plastics conversion in the face of globalization. He noted that several major European plastics converters now had plants in China and he believed that the European industry should focus heavily on innovation and on making progress in the consolidation of larger groups which can command greater economies of scale. He believed that inflationary pressures in low cost economies, growing environmental concerns and fears over the security of supply chains in a troubled world could, in the long-term, cause a strengthening of manufacturing in the EU.

In the meantime he believes it’s important to vigorously pursue anti-dumping cases with the European Commission in order to ensure a fair and level playing field for hard - pressed European manufacturing sectors. He reminded the audience that EuPC is still awaiting the conclusions of the Commission’s anti-dumping investigation into plastic bags.

Currently, he said, European industry has been digesting very high energy costs increases in the months since last September, with converters in some countries suffering more than others. But he has aware of many European firms which have sustained energy costs of over 100% since last autumn. This is placing considerable stress on the sector and, combined with the continuing increases in raw material and transport costs, the sheer survival of many European plastics converters is at risk in the short-term.

Dangis also said, longer-term that the growing complexity of plastics and their use alongside other materials could give rise to the question, ‘’what are plastics?’’ He believed that this could cause issues for regulators, statistical organisations and standards bodies as well as the trade associations traditonally representing the industry.

Dangis thanked the Finnish Plastics Industry Federation (FPIF) for its considerable help in the staging of the General Assembly in Helsinki and, in particular, Kari Teppola, it’s Managing Director, a long-standing EuPC Steering Committee member and a veteran of plastics industry representation in Europe, for his close personal involvement in the management of the event.

EuPC’s 2006 General Assembly was kindly sponsored by Borealis which has a strong tradition of working closely with the whole supply chain. Alexandre Dangis thanked the Executive Vice President of Borealis’s Polyolefins Business Group, David Rolph, for the company’s generosity and support.

About EuPC

EuPC is the professional representative body of plastics converters in Europe, whose activity embraces all sectors of the plastics converting industry. Its powerful Plastics Network exists to support and extend the beneficial use of plastics worldwide, especially providing plastics specialists with a voice in European legislation and advising companies and organisations on new and up-coming regulations that may affect their business.

EuPC now totals about 50 European Plastics Converting national and industry associations, it represents more than 37.000 companies, producing over 35 millions tonnes of plastic products every year. The European Plastics Converting Industry employs more than 1, 6 million employees and has a yearly
turnover of more than 130 billion euro.
EuPC Website: www.eupc.org

For more information please contact:
Bianka Nagy
European Plastics Converters
Avenue de Cortenbergh 66, 1000 Bruxelles
T. +32 (0)2 739 63 86 - F. +32 (0)2 732 42 18
E-mail: bianka.nagy @eupc.org
Website: www.eupc.org