CEMA joins 80+ organisations calling for a European "Made in Europe" Manufacturing Initiative
CEMA, the European association representing the agricultural machinery industry, has joined a broad coalition of more than 80 organisations from across Europe's manufacturing ecosystem, spanning industry, research, and academia, with the European Factories of the Future Research Association (EFFRA) to launch a new call for action: a "Made in Europe" Manufacturing Initiative.
The initiative comes at a critical moment for Europe's industrial future. Faced with increasing global competition, geopolitical uncertainty, and growing dependencies in key technologies and value chains, Europe must take coordinated and forward-looking action to strengthen its manufacturing base.
Manufacturing remains a cornerstone of Europe's economy, supporting millions of jobs, driving innovation, and underpinning the continent's strategic autonomy. At the same time, Europe must strengthen its ability to scale innovation, reinforce industrial capacity, and translate technological excellence into competitive industrial production.
For the agricultural machinery sector, this is particularly important, as innovation in sustainable, precise, digital and smart farming technologies relies on a strong and competitive European manufacturing ecosystem.
The joint paper outlines five strategic priorities for the period 2028–2034:
- Accelerating innovation and industrial scale-up in Europe
- Strengthening strategic autonomy and resilience
- Advancing circular and climate-neutral production
- Leading in digitalisation, automation, and industrial AI
- Investing in skills and workforce transformation
The coalition calls on European policymakers to establish a coordinated, large-scale "Made in Europe" initiative, embedded in upcoming EU instruments such as Framework Programme 10 and the European Competitiveness Fund.
This initiative aims to better align research, innovation, and industrial deployment, ensuring that Europe not only develops cutting-edge technologies but also manufactures them at scale within its borders.
CEMA strongly supports a well-funded and impact-oriented FP10 and European Competitiveness Fund, and underlines the importance of building on existing European research and innovation collaborations, including projects under Horizon Europe and the Digital Europe Programme, which already contribute to advancing digitalisation, precision farming, sustainability, and productivity in the agricultural machinery sector.
The full paper and joint letter to policymakers were released on 15 April 2026.
Read the full paper