When the Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI) issued its January briefing to MPs last week, director general, David Workman, set out the case for the UK remaining within a reformed EU.
Mr Workman states that the position of the UK’s papermakers, converters and recyclers is in favour of the UK remaning within a reformed EU. The future of the UK papermaking relies on continued capital investment and strength of the EU for our industry is the ability to trade freely across borders.
Should the UK leave the EU, it would cast doubts over free movement and regulatory frameworks. Exporters to the EU would still have to comply with a host of EU regulations and standards and we would be projected into a period of uncertainty. This is the type of business environment that deters investors, putting in jeopardy the 25,000 direct and 100,000 indirect jobs in the paper supply chain in the UK.
Mr Workman commented, ‘The debate on our membership of the EU will undoubtedly intensify over the coming months but we would urge members of the Parliament to recognise that the challenges for Energy Intensive Industries in the 21st century will be enormous and that we are in a better position to face them from within a reformed EU.’
