Ahead of the European Council meeting in Alden Biesen, the Antwerp Declaration Community – representing more than 1,300 companies, associations and trade unions across Europe – called on EU Heads of State and Government to take urgent and bold action to restore Europe’s industrial competitiveness, safeguard high-quality jobs for European workers, and turn the Clean Industrial Deal into outcomes felt on factory floors in 2026.

The call was made at the European Industry Summit, which brought together over 500 business leaders, 30 factory workers, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, under the auspices of Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Macron, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker Senior, and EU leaders including Executive Vice Presidents Teresa Ribera and Stéphane Séjourné, Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra, also joined, underscoring the political urgency of Europe’s industrial crisis.

The Community calls on EU leaders to ensure that the Alden Biesen meeting becomes the moment when Europe commits to bold, coordinated measures that restore industrial competitiveness, and secure high-quality jobs for future generations with visible results in 2026.

Roxane Feller, AnimalhealthEurope Director General commented:

“Europe is the birthplace of veterinary medicine and home to wide-ranging innovations in the field of animal health. Our industry is nevertheless under pressure not only from Europe’s traditional trading partners, but also from within Europe due to overly burdensome regulatory and administrative requirements. We want to retain Europe’s innovation prowess in both our sector and all industry sectors. There is no resilient, nor healthy, nor strong Europe without a strong European animal health industry. Our message to European leaders: Europe must be proud of its industry. You must take action.”

Read the Antwerp Call to Action.