At a time when Europe’s industrial base is under severe strain, industriAll Europe made a clear and urgent call: the next EU budget must deliver for workers and support Europe’s industrial base. We warned of a deepening restructuring crisis across Europe’s industrial sectors and demanded that the new MFF include ambitious funding instruments with strong social conditionalities to support the twin green and digital transformation for good quality jobs in Europe’s industry.

Between 2019 and 2023, the EU lost nearly one million manufacturing jobs. In the first five months of 2025 alone, job losses due to corporate restructuring have tripled compared to the same period in 2022. With 25% of European industrial companies expected to undergo major restructuring in the coming months, the need for a socially responsible and forward-looking EU budget has never been more urgent. According to Eurostat, 4,3 millions jobs are at stake. 

At the moment, the announced Competitiveness Fund (CF) seems to be the main financial tool aimed at supporting the industrial strategy objectives. IndustriAll Europe stressed that it must be based on a forward-looking, comprehensive and balanced definition of competitiveness, that must encompass and actively promote quality jobs, social dialogue and collective bargaining, fair taxation, and sustainability. Under no circumstances can the CF be based on winner-takes-it-all principles like the ‘excellence principle’, which would award outstanding companies only. 

We call on the EU to support all transforming industries across all regions to decarbonise and successfully navigate the twin transition with quality jobs at the core.

IndustriAll Europe reiterated its demand that public funding must come with strings attached. It is unacceptable that the EU plans to impose conditions on Member States but not on companies. Companies receiving public aid must avoid redundancies and ensure quality jobs, including fair wages, good working conditions, collective bargaining, training, health and safety at the workplace, job security and social protection, work-life balance, while promoting direct employment. It is also morally indefensible that public support is channelled to excessive dividend payments. The Commission must also consider the erosion of public trust when EU funds are handed to companies that fail to respect these basic social standards.

IndustriAll Europe also called for the creation of a SURE 2.0 scheme. Building on the success of the original SURE instrument during the COVID-19 pandemic, the new instrument must support workers facing the current restructuring crisis. 

Finally, industriAll Europe insisted on the acceleration of the new Own Resources, including a wealth tax, financial transaction tax, digital services tax, and a single market levy. In times when the main concern is about sufficient funding for the next MFF, it is high time to align the EU budget to its political ambitions and ensure that everybody contributes fairly.