European social partners Ceemet and industriAll Europe gathered the Metal, Engineering and Technology industries in Brussels on 10 December for a plenary focused on trade tensions between the US and the EU, discussion about next EU budget and concerns over Europe’s competitiveness.
- Situation in the EU MET industry and EU-US Trade Deal implications
The social dialogue plenary started with a discussion on the state of the MET sector and the fallout from the emerging EU-US trade deal. Thomas Jürgensen of the Commission’s Trade.D1 unit outlined the framework agreement reached in July 2025 after new US tariffs. The deal paves the way for the removal of EU tariffs on all US industrial goods and opens wider access for American agricultural products. In return, the US will cap many EU tariffs at 15 per cent, ease Section 232 duties and apply most favoured nation rates in several strategic sectors.
The framework stretches far beyond tariff cuts. Europe commits to major purchases of US energy products totalling hundreds of billions of dollars through 2028 and to significant acquisitions of US AI chips. European firms are also expected to ramp up investment in the United States. Jürgensen acknowledged the imbalance in the deal yet stressed this is the reality industry must work with. The aim now, he said, is to stay pragmatic and engage proactively with American counterparts.
Ceemet Director General Delphine Rudelli warned that the true impact of tariffs is still difficult to pin down. Automotive has felt the strain, yet other subsectors such as aerospace and shipbuilding remain strong. What companies need most is clarity and stability as they navigate supply chain disruption, high energy prices and heavy administrative requirements as a result of growing EU legislation.
The mood across the sector is increasingly anxious. Companies need clear and competitive conditions to invest in Europe. A recent survey by the European Round Table of Industrialists is a stark warning signal. More than a third of CEOs say they will invest less in Europe than planned or have frozen decisions altogether. Only a tiny share intends to increase European investment while almost half expect to invest more in the United States. The findings reflect deep frustration that the recommendations of Mario Draghi and Enrico Letta on competitiveness and single market reform have yet to translate into tangible progress. Seventy six per cent of business leaders say they have seen little or no positive impact from the EU’s recent initiatives.
Against this backdrop, the plenary made one point clear: Europe’s MET industries are ready to adapt, but they need a predictable and ambitious policy environment if Europe is to remain an attractive place to invest.
- Commission finally unveiled the Quality Jobs Roadmap: what to expect?
The European Commission has published its long-awaited Quality Jobs Roadmap, setting out a new comprehensive plan to strengthen job quality across the EU. Maria Luisa Llano Cardenal, head of the Social Dialogue Unit in DG EMPL, presented the initiative to MET social partners during the Brussels plenary.
Cardenal underlined the scale of input from social partners, noting 52 written contributions from national organisations and 43 at European level, mobilising around 200 organisations across the EU. The Roadmap focuses on areas where Brussels sees the greatest need for coordinated action. This includes creating, maintaining and modernising jobs along with ensuring work is fair, safe and equal.
She highlighted key enabling factors for delivering quality jobs. These range from effective enforcement of EU legislation to strong social dialogue, strategic use of EU funds such as the MFF, ESF+ and NextGen EU, and access to quality public services, including through the upcoming European Care Deal and EU4Health.
With the Roadmap now published, the process moves into its next phase. Work is underway on the Quality Jobs Act, expected at the end of 2026. Indeed, the first stage consultation of the social partners regarding the future Quality Jobs Act was launched on 4th December and will cover algorithmic management and AI, occupational safety and health, subcontracting, just transition and enforcement. A second stage consultation is due in spring.
Ceemet Director General Delphine Rudelli welcomed the emphasis on better enforcement. She noted that many of the issues the EU seeks to resolve through new legislation originate in weak implementation and insufficient labour inspections. She also recognised the competitiveness agenda of the second von der Leyen Commission but warned that elements of the future Quality Jobs Act could risk going against it.
Ceemet stressed that MET employers already offer quality jobs with strong wages, solid conditions and health and safety standards developed jointly with unions. Quality jobs cannot simply be created by legislation, she said. Companies need a competitive environment that allows them to sustain and grow such employment.
- MFF and the Competitiveness fund
The last item on the agenda was The European Competitiveness Fund. Magdalena Brussel-Jacaszek of DG GROW briefed MET social partners on how the new fund is designed to consolidate 14 existing instruments into a single investment engine for Europe’s strategic industries.
The Fund will be part of the 2028 to 2034 Multiannual Financial Framework and aims to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness across the entire innovation chain. This ranges from collaborative research to large scale deployment, manufacturing, infrastructure and skills. Support will be open to SMEs, start ups, major companies, universities and research bodies. The goal is to use EU budget tools to leverage significant private and national investment.
The initiative is closely tied to the Competitiveness Compass published in early 2025. The Compass warned that productivity gaps between the EU and other advanced economies have widened steadily, undermining Europe’s position in global markets. It also identified a core problem: EU spending is scattered across overlapping programmes that fund similar priorities but with different rules, making it difficult for companies to combine resources effectively.
Magdalena Brussel-Jacaszek explained that although the instrument is intended to take effect in 2028, negotiations with the European Parliament and member states are now underway. Around 21 per cent of the proposed two trillion-euro MFF would be channelled through the Competitiveness Fund. National and regional partnership plans will account for 44 per cent of the budget and will target domestic reforms and projects, while the Fund itself will focus on transnational initiatives.
She noted that the current landscape of EU funding does not offer large scale support across the full investment journey, particularly in later-stage innovation and scaling up of companies in strategic sectors. Flexibility is limited, and links with private and other public funding remain weak. The ECF seeks to close these gaps while also supporting horizontal activities such as project advisory services, the EU4Business network and skills development.
Ceemet welcomed the introduction of the Fund and its focus on competitiveness, simplification and skills. A strong Competitiveness Fund can help attract the investment companies need to grow, innovate and remain globally competitive. Strengthening public and private investment, Ceemet said, must remain a core objective.
Eventually, Ceemet and industriAll Europe confirmed their Work Programme for 2026, largely focused on addressing the green and digital transition in the MET industries.