Event Report: Securing the competitiveness of Europe’s downstream manufacturing

Europe’s industrial competitiveness is back at the centre of the political agenda. As the European Commission’s 2026 Work Programme set out ambitious objectives for growth, resilience and sustainability, a fundamental question remains: how can these ambitions be delivered in practice if Europe’s downstream manufacturing base is not fully recognised and supported?

This question framed APPLiA’s lunch debate on “Securing the competitiveness of the European downstream industry”, held at the European Parliament. The discussion brought together policymakers, industry representatives and stakeholders to examine the role of downstream sectors, such as the home appliance industry, in Europe’s industrial strategy.

Opening the discussion, APPLiA Director General Paolo Falcioni highlighted the strategic role of the home appliance sector within Europe’s industrial ecosystem, underlining how downstream industries transform industrial know-how into everyday products and support Europe’s competitiveness.

Hakan Bulgurlu, Beko CEO and APPLiA President, stressed that manufacturing remains the backbone of Europe’s economic strength. “Europe has always been a centre of manufacturing strength and innovation,” he noted, underlining that appliances, invented in Europe, remain at the core of people’s living standards. At the same time, he warned that the growing number of regulatory and cost-related obstacles imposed on the sector is increasingly distorting the market and putting this leadership at risk.

Participants agreed that Europe is at a crossroads: shifting global supply chains, intensifying competition, and rising production costs are reshaping the environment for downstream manufacturers.

European Commission’s Barbara Bonvissuto (DG GROW) Director Construction, Machinery and Market Surveillance emphasised that sustaining Europe’s competitiveness requires a strong and well-functioning Single Market. She pointed to ongoing efforts to simplify and digitalise rules, strengthen enforcement and reduce unnecessary costs, while supporting investment, innovation and resilience across industrial value chains.

The same focus on coherence and implementation was echoed by Anna Parol from the Permanent Representation of Poland to the EU, who stressed the importance of maintaining investment momentum while avoiding additional regulatory and administrative burdens on downstream industries. MEP Nikola Minchev (Renew Europe Group) also highlighted the need to reduce administrative complexity and ensure that EU rules are applied consistently and effectively in practice.

Securing the competitiveness of Europe’s downstream industries requires a coordinated policy framework that delivers a level playing field, predictable and innovation-friendly regulation, and targeted investment in skills and technologies. Several speakers underlined the need for a value-chain perspective, ensuring that measures designed to protect or support one part of the industrial ecosystem do not inadvertently undermine others.

The home appliance sector already illustrates what is at stake. With almost one million jobs, over 130 manufacturing sites and significant annual investment across European supply chains, the sector plays a central role in delivering competitiveness, energy efficiency and circularity for Europe. The technologies exist, and industrial excellence is firmly rooted in Europe. 

The question for the way forward now is whether Europe’s policy framework will fully translate these ambitions into actions and empower downstream industries to deliver on its industrial, climate and competitiveness ambitions.