The European home appliance industry is calling for more balanced industrial policies and greater attention to downstream manufacturing activities. This is the message from APPLiA – Home Appliance Europe, the association representing the leading home appliance manufacturers in Europe, regarding the recent initiatives by the European Commission to strengthen the continent’s industrial base.
According to the association, the proposed Industrial Accelerator Act represents an important step toward boosting European production and developing low-carbon materials. However, to be truly effective, Europe’s industrial strategy should explicitly include the manufacturing industries that transform these materials into finished products.
In this context, the concept of “Made in Europe” could help strengthen industrial resilience and reward companies that invest in production, skills, and sustainability within the Union. APPLiA emphasizes that greater clarity is needed on the scope and implementation of this strategy, with “clear, robust, and legally valid” criteria.
APPLiA stresses that European competitiveness does not depend solely on primary raw material production. The strength of the continent’s industry also lies in its ability to transform these materials into high value-added products for the global market. This activity is primarily carried out in downstream manufacturing.
In this framework, the home appliance industry represents one of the main advanced manufacturing ecosystems in Europe, playing a central role in the supply chains of sectors such as steel, electronics, plastics, and digital technologies. At the same time, the sector contributes to Europe’s climate objectives through increasingly energy-efficient products.
For the association, an industrial strategy focused exclusively on material production risks weakening the very system it aims to strengthen. Recognizing strategic materials must also mean recognizing the industries that transform them into the products families rely on every day.
In light of these considerations, APPLiA calls on the European Parliament and the Council of the EU to ensure, during the legislative process, favorable conditions for producing and investing in Europe across the entire value chain. Only by supporting both material production and the industries that use them, APPLiA concludes, can Europe truly strengthen its industrial competitiveness and economic resilience.
The world of the home appliance and consumer electronics supply chain will gather at the next edition of Applitech, the only trade fair in Europe dedicated to the sector, which will take place from November 10 to 12, 2027 at Bologna Exhibition Center, featuring a rich program of conferences.