• cotance@euroleather.com

The COTANCE Presidency meets Industry Commissioner and Commission Vice-President Antonio Tajani

On July 30, 2012, Industry Commissioner and Commission Vice-President Antonio Tajani received in Brussels the recently elected COTANCE President Rino Mastrotto. President Mastrotto headed a small delegation composed by COTANCE Vice-Presidents Muirhead, Roselló and Mercogliano as well as COTANCE Secretary General Gonzalez-Quijano.

This encounter between the governing body of the European Leather Industry and the Member of the European Commission in charge of Industrial Policy served to underscore the leadership of European leather producers, notably in key areas of sustainable development, as well as their crucial role in technical, fashion and luxury value chains. With a turnover of some 8 billion Euro, a positive trade balance, worldwide best environmental practice and social accountability standards, European leather is a key player at global scale and in global value chains, representing some 15-17% of global leather trade in value.

Vice-President Tajani is to present later this year a Communication on Industrial Policy outlining the policy objectives and initiatives that aim at strengthening the competitiveness of European industry. The European Commission is also to address aspects of the customs union and the internal market, and enter into further Free Trade negotiations with third countries.

The COTANCE delegation expressed the challenges and opportunities of the European leather industry in this context notably against the background of the difficult economic momentum. It advocated for EU action in several policy areas for providing the sector with the appropriate regulatory framework for reaching further highs in its development.

European leather producers addressed the need to regulate the use of the term leather and the labelling of leather products as a matter of urgency for protecting the industry and consumers from deceptive practices (and the associated risks) and harmonising the composition labelling requirements for substantially all leather articles along the lines of the EU Footwear-labelling Directive. They also called on the Commission to seek to it that trade agreements effectively secure the access to leather markets and raw materials in strict reciprocity for European tanners. Some other issues regarding technical matters were also addressed.

Commission Vice-President Tajani expressed his support to the points made by COTANCE and indicated that these will be addressed in the Competitiveness Council under the Cyprus EU Presidency later this year. He also confirmed that he would follow up with his colleague, EU Trade Commissioner De Gucht, those issues regarding improved access to foreign markets and raw materials.

Latest News

COTANCE joins Antwerp Declaration for European Industrial Deal

COTANCE joins Antwerp Declaration for European Industrial Deal COTANCE is proud to announce its alignment with the Antwerp Declaration for a European Industrial Deal, joining forces with 202 associations among 865 signatories. This step highlights our commitment to promoting a more competitive, innovative,...

Renewal of the Italian Tanning Labour Agreement

Renewal of the Italian Tanning Labour Agreement The Italian national Collective Labour Agreement has been renewed and signed on March 7th 2024 by UNIC - Italian Tanneries - on one side and the trade unions of the sector - FILCTEM CGIL, FEMCA CISL, UILTEC UIL - on the other.The new CCNL will remain in...

AEQUALIS-4-TCLF brings together 19 European partners to upskill and reskill the TCLF sectors for equality and inclusion

PRESS RELEASE AEQUALIS-4-TCLF brings together 19 European partners to upskill and reskill the TCLF sectors for equality and inclusion Brussels, 06 March 2024 – In the context of the EU Pact for Skills, EURATEX is proud to launch an EU co-funded project under ERASMUS+ Programme to support the...

Deforestation in the leather supply chain takes center stage in Milan and Paris

Deforestation in the leather supply chain takes centre stage in Milan and Paris   On February 20, 2024, at the Science-based Fashion Talks of the Lineapelle fair in Milan, COTANCE-UNIC held a joint session titled "The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) n. 1115/2023 and the Traceability Challenge in...

Projects