EECA and its members continue to work to improve the general framework conditions in Europe in support of competitiveness, innovation and growth both in Europe and worldwide. From this perspective, it currently sees a medium-term risk that Europe as an economy and region decouples itself from strategic growth and technology developments. At the same time, electronic components will continue their role as key strategic enablers, multipliers and contributors to economic growth and progress elsewhere in the world. This is where industry and governments need to work together more closely in Europe to ensure the industry in Europe can compete on equal terms with other regions.
Furthermore, there was a slight decrease in the size of the market, though in line with comparable ww developments in Japan and the US. The European market was valued at a45.3bn with a ww market share of 17%. Regarding employment levels, the components industry in Europe currently supports over 207 000 direct jobs.
Yet 2005 was also able to confirm the ever-increasing ww demand for components, the persistence of leading edge technology and market positions in areas such as automotive in Europe, an upward trend in the German market and signals that painful years of industry restructuring and delocalisation may have reached an end for some components sectors. Indeed, employment levels continued to grow for example in the semiconductor industry in Europe. The figures also disguise the fact that Europe continues to be a highly competitive market and European companies are active participants and drivers of growth developments all over the world.
From a European tube industry perspective, the negative news in 2005 overshadowed the other factors, and culminated in a dramatic crash of parts of the CRT-based display industry at the end of 2005 and beginning of 2006.
The industry associations of EECA can and are playing an active role in supporting the respective segments as they face their own particular - and common challenges and cycles. The overriding common interest is to ensure that the electronic component industry can stay and grow further in Europe.
Enrico Villa
President EECA
Executive Vice President STMicroelectronics
