The European pulp and paper industry today concluded its twelvth European Paper Week announcing that it is well prepared to play an important part in the upcoming bio-economy, which is one main political priority of the EU.

“We are at the core of green growth. The paper industry is perfectly built to support the new bio-economy through it’s knowledge of renewable raw materials, recycling , bio-energy and use of by-products. Paper is part of the solution and our discussions over the last three days have shown how we can support green growth.” said Teresa Presas, Managing Director of CEPI.”

The three-day event brought together over 330 people from the pulp and paper industry, related organisations as well as different institutions and provides a high-level platform for discussion.

At a moment when the European Commission is presenting its flagship initiatives to implement the EU2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, the CEPI Annual Meeting provided the opportunity to address some policy views and industry initiatives that could contribute to making green growth a reality.

A panel involving industry representatives from Europe and Canada, as well as Tony Long head of WWF EU Policy Office, and Lars Kjellberg, a paper analyst from Credit Suisse, debated the transformation of the pulp and paper industry and its potential to innovate, from different stakeholder angles.

The key plenary event held during the European Paper Week, saw the contributions from European Parliamentarian Herbert Reul, as well as from Mattia Pellegrini, member of the Cabinet of European Commission Vice President Antonio Tajani, responsible for Industry and Entrepreneurship. They outlined the contents of the new industrial policy, the innovation union as well as the raw materials strategy. Berry Wiersum, Chairman of CEPI said,” we welcome the European Commission proposal for an integrated industrial policy that puts competitiveness at centre stage. We look forward to seeing it implemented in member states. Our sector is ready to deliver”.

The networking event of the year within the pulp and paper industry took place in Brussels at the Crowne Plaza – Le Palace Hotel in Brussels from 16-18 November. This year the event included four interactive seminars on a wide range of topics such as raw materials, climate policy, recycling and transport, which will help shape the work programme for CEPI over the coming year.