Cotance pledges to lobby harder
The Leather Association COTANCE (Confederation of National Associations of Tanners and Dressers of the European Community) has advised of the main issues discussed at its annual general meeting, held in Glasgow, Scotland, on June 16.
Attended by the representatives of Italy (UNIC), Spain (CEC), France (FFTM), Germany (VDL), the Netherlands (FNL), Finland (FLIA), Sweden (SG) and the United Kingdom (BLC), the meeting reached a number of conclusions that were related mainly to the Association’s EU lobbying capabilities.
In its report on the meeting, the Association said it intends to implement a series of measures designed to ensure that its Brussels office is better able to respond to EU policy developments as they arise.
'Clear priorities’ are to be set with regard to various areas of EU policy development, especially those relating to raw materials. The Association also said it will ‘pursue vigorously’ any protectionist measure applied by third-party countries while addressing the ‘suspect attitudes’ of Poland’s CEEC and Morocco’s MEDA trade bodies, in advance of the next round of WTO trade talks.
Other priorities identified were:
- The development of an internal empowerment plan before enlarging the scope of COTANCE to Türkiye.
- The ‘slimming down’ of the Association’s membership to encompass only those organisations that participate in COTANCE networks.
- The arrangement of an extraordinary Assembly General in December in Brussels, aimed at better aligning the organisation to the future needs of the European leather industry.
