From 6 to 9 June 2024, millions of EU citizens undertook the important task of electing the new 720 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) who will shape the course of the EU over the next five years. It was noteworthy to see so many EU voters strongly engaged in these elections, leading to a considerable rise in overall voter turnout.
The European elections are a crucial moment for assessing and redefining the direction of the EU’s policies that affect every aspect of our businesses and lives, from environmental regulations to economic and social policies.
In our view, the outcome does send a strong signal that the EU should continue prioritising a sustainable, growth-oriented agenda to maintain the competitiveness of European businesses and advance environmental sustainability. However, at the same time we also see a strong call for policymakers to renew engagement with industry through deeper collaboration while focusing on the proper implementation of existing legislation.
What policy support does our sector need?
For many years, the European soft drinks sector has demonstrated leadership in promoting a more sustainable and healthier food and drink system in Europe and we remain committed to making a positive impact, as we outlined boldly in our 2024-2029 Manifesto.
We see the new EU legislative term as an opportunity to drive further progress through strengthened collaboration with policymakers to create a supportive regulatory framework. In our view, here’s what is essential to consider:
1. Ensuring Europe’s competitiveness is key to our sector’s sustainable growth
With more than 500 production facilities across Europe supporting over 1.8 million jobs, the European soft drink sector is a key player in the future of Europe. For every job in soft drinks production, another seven jobs are created in our value chain, in a range of sectors including agriculture, raw materials, manufacturing, packaging, marketing, transport, retail and catering.
We are a distinctive local sector that proudly supports thousands of European agricultural communities and businesses: we manufacture 97% of soft drinks within Europe and we source more than 85% of our ingredients from Europe as well.
Our contribution to the EU’s economy and society is nothing short of significant with our value chain estimated to be worth €242 billion annually. Therefore, staying a competitive sector is vital. To achieve this, policymakers should provide regulatory certainty and secure a strong single market at the heart of EU policy, with uniform implementation of EU food and environmental legislation. It is now time to prioritise the implementation of current legislation over new policies to provide businesses with legal predictability to incentivise investments.
In addition, ensuring new legislation is science-based and built upon thorough and high-quality impact assessments couldn’t be more important.