Support European machine tool manufacturers to develop new markets

European Machine Tool Industry Cooperation Council (CECIMO) recently said that in 2009, new orders for the European machine tool industry fell by 60% year-on-year, and production fell by 37% year-on-year. Despite the recent positive performance of industry companies, CECIMO still believes that there will be some difficulties in production and employment in 2010. CECIMO pointed out that machine tool consumption in Asia accounted for 60% of the global total in 2010, and is expected to account for 70% by 2015. This situation requires CECIMO to provide strong support for European machine tool manufacturers to enter emerging markets with China and India as entry points now and in the future. CECIMO further pointed out that it supports the implementation of the revised new machinery market research guidelines at the end of December 2009. In order to provide a level playing field for machine tool manufacturers, it is necessary to conduct market research in European countries in order to establish a harmonious mechanism. As a basic principle, CECIMO supports the signing of bilateral free trade agreements, but requires strict enforcement of the 'intellectual property' provisions of global standards. In this regard, the EU will strengthen the supervision of possible hidden measures adopted by some countries to protect the interests of European manufacturers and maintain fair competition.