FEDIL Industry Day 2025; Credit: Ievgenii Karanov, Chronicle.lu

On Wednesday 10 September 2025, the third edition of FEDIL Industry Day brought together around 200 participants at the Chouchou event space in Luxembourg-Hollerich.

This 2025 edition focused on the theme “Global shifts, local strategies: How industry can turn trade disruptions into opportunity”. The event took place in the presence of Luxembourg’s Minister of the Economy, SMEs, Energy and Tourism, Lex Delles, alongside business leaders, economic experts and policymakers.

Spanning half a day, the event combined keynote speeches, panel discussions and networking moments. The first part of the programme featured a keynote by Philippe Schaus, former Chairman and CEO of Moët Hennessy and DFS Group, on “Strategic reinvention in a world of change - Unlocking growth through inspired leadership”, followed by insights from Fredrik Persson, President of BusinessEurope, on “Globalisation revisited. European views”.

The panel discussion that followed, moderated by Yves Germeaux, Head of Trade and International Relations at FEDIL, brought together Anne Calteux, Head of the European Commission Representation in Luxembourg, Valérie Massin, Country Head Luxembourg at ArcelorMittal, Frank Thomé, Executive Board Member of Ceratizit and Fredrik Persson. The debate touched on tariffs and EU-US trade arrangements, predictability versus flexibility in a volatile environment, import pressures on Europe’s steel market, strategic raw-material dependencies and how companies can regain competitiveness through supply-chain diversification, innovation and investment.

Fredrik Persson underlined that “no tariffs and a rules-based system are always better”, adding that although the recent EU-US deal was “unbalanced and US-led, it avoided a full trade war - out of two bad options, this is the better one.” He also pointed to Europe’s competitiveness challenge, stressing that “the biggest threat is speed - the world is moving faster than Europe, and we must catch up.”

Anne Calteux highlighted the stability achieved through the deal, noting that “predictability is one of our main achievements … but flexibility is also essential in today’s volatile world.”

Valérie Massin drew attention to the challenges facing the European steel industry, with global production at 1.8 billion tonnes and overcapacity around 600 million tonnes. She warned that Europe had become a net importer and stressed the urgency of effective trade defence measures, pointing out that “our industry is operating at just 60% of capacity, far below the 80% needed to cover fixed costs.”

Frank Thomé meanwhile highlighted Europe’s dependency on strategic raw materials such as tungsten, 85% of which comes from China. With export restrictions in place, he cautioned that Europe risked “the same dependency we once had with Russian gas” and urged faster action to diversify supply chains.

In his closing address, Minister Delles congratulated FEDIL on organising the third edition of Industry Day, which he described as the country’s “industrial rentrée”. He stressed the need to prepare Luxembourg’s industry for the future in the face of global uncertainty and geopolitical tensions.

The minister underlined that innovation is the key to competitiveness: “Companies that do not invest and innovate today will not be able to survive tomorrow.” He noted recent government measures in support of R&D, digital and green transition, and infrastructure such as Meluxina AI and the Space Campus. He also called for European unity in responding to global trade disruptions: “It is not Luxembourg or France or Italy alone that can negotiate tariffs with the United States - it is Europe together.”

In conclusion, Minister Delles emphasised stability and predictability for businesses, alongside investment in renewable energy and the development of Luxembourg’s defence industry. “Our common objective is to transform challenges into opportunities and to move forward together towards a stronger and more competitive future,” he concluded.

The FEDIL Industry Day ended with a barbecue, during which participants continued their discussions.

(Caption: Lex Delles, Luxembourg’s Minister of the Economy, SMEs, Energy and Tourism; Credit: Ievgenii Karanov, Chronicle.lu)