EURATEX now calls on the Commission and Member States to translate these commitments into concrete action for the textile and apparel value chain.

At the same time, EURATEX regrets that industrial competitiveness received comparatively limited attention in an otherwise wide-ranging address. The association urges the Commission to match today’s political commitments with an equal sense of urgency on industrial competitiveness, and to place manufacturing sectors, such as textiles, more firmly at the centre of its agenda in the months ahead.

"Europe cannot build a strong defence, lead the green and digital transitions, or protect its social model on a weakening industrial base. Competitiveness is not just one chapter of the European project – it is the foundation all the others are built on; when we get that right, everything else becomes possible,” states Dirk Vantyghem, Director General of EURATEX.

On trade, EURATEX shares the President’s assessment that the EU’s growing trade deficit with China – now standing at €1 billion a day – has reached a tipping point. The textile and apparel sector has been on the front line of this “second China shock” for years, and EURATEX calls on the Commission to move swiftly from dialogue to concrete trade-defence measures, including stronger customs enforcement and import monitoring for textile products.

EURATEX also welcomes the pledge to cut administrative burden and forge a “pact against gold-plating” with Member States. Textile companies, the vast majority of which are SMEs, are disproportionately affected by overlapping and often diverging national implementation of EU rules, and genuine simplification would meaningfully improve their competitiveness.

Looking ahead to the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), EURATEX stresses the need for dedicated support for the textile industry, reflecting its role as a strategic manufacturing sector for Europe’s green, digital, and defence transitions, and ensuring the sector is not left without targeted instruments as EU funding priorities are reshaped.

EURATEX commends the President’s announcement of a new “European Instrument for Strategic Enablers” to strengthen European defence capabilities. Technical and defence-related textiles – from protective equipment and ballistic materials to smart textiles for soldier systems – are an integral part of Europe’s defence industrial base, and EURATEX says it stands ready to help ensure the sector is fully recognised in this effort.

On international partnerships, EURATEX notes with interest the President’s proposal to deepen the EU-Canada relationship through an “Alliance for the Future”. EURATEX has recently signed Memoranda of Understanding with its Canadian counterparts, the Canadian Textiles Industry Association (CTIA) and the Canadian Apparel Federation (CAF), and is well-placed to build on this cooperation as EU-Canada industrial ties are strengthened.

Finally, EURATEX supports the announcement of a new Mediterranean Youth Skills and Jobs initiative. The association is already active in this domain through its role in the Pact for Skills and has ongoing engagement across the Mediterranean region. EURATEX says it is ready to contribute its expertise to help ensure the initiative delivers meaningful opportunities for young people in the textile and apparel value chain.