FECER visits the largest CCS test facility worldwide
Posted on April 11, 2012
For its first meeting in 2012, FECER’s Steering Committee accepted the invitation of the Norwegian member federation Lederne to convene in Bergen on March 7/8th and to combine this gathering with a visit of the CO2 Technology Centre Mongstad, located some 60 km North of Norway’s ancient capital.
FECER’s President Strategy
Posted on December 22, 2010
The new President Mr François PERNIOLA, elected in 2010 for 3 years, thanked the Committee for electing him and presents the FECER ‘s strategy for the next three years.
He believed that the FECER had an important role in developing social dialogue within the EU. Although globalization was impacting the energy markets, FECER had a valuable role in driving the economic and social environment in energy companies, to support terms and conditions of managers but also the regulatory background to the energy markets in terms of knowledges, climate change and security of supply.
The FECER new program includes four targets :
- To focus on the problems caused by scarcity of energy resources, especially the hydrocarbons. There was an urgent need to identify new sources of energy whilst using existing energy reserves more carefully. Developing renewable energy research would also be key to protecting energy reserves in the future.
- To focus on the role of the management in European and International Social Dialogue : equally important is to ensure that energy markets were developed with due account being taken of the work environment particularly as it affected managers. There was a need to balance professional knowledges and training with occupational and geographical mobility and equality consideration
- To focus on the FECER’ voice, which could meaningfully represent managers in dialogue with the European Union and internationally : there is a need to work with other representative groups within the EU (including the ETUC) and at a global level.
- To focus on how to develop the organization and legitimity of the FECER at the European level, to strengthen FECER in terms of profile and media communications. There was also an urgent need to extend membership into countries where the FECER have no affiliates.
The lead members to develop these objectives are :
- Thomas Schneider would act in respect of Objective 1.
- Salvatore Carbonaro in respect of Objective 2,
- Patrick Carragher and Philippe Hendrickx in respect of Objective 3
- François Perniola and Lise Bachmann Watrinet in respect of Objective 4
“Europe 2020” Strategy – for whom?
Posted on December 22, 2010
The “Europe 2020” strategy was adopted by the member states last June. In the middle of a crisis whose economic and social consequences bear heavily on Europe, the “Europe 2020” strategy’s principal objective is to develop engines of new growth combined with indispensible competitiveness.
These objectives are :
- To lower the rate of unemployment
- To encourage research and the capacity of innovation by investing 3% of the EU’s GDP in this field
- To respect the commitments made by the Energy/Climate 20/20/20 package (*)
These targets could be achieved, but only if the resource to reinforce the competitiveness of the European Economy are put on the table. These resources will certainly be financials, but will depend above all on the treasure of the European human resource. The vast European market must serve the people of Europe and not the reverse.
This is where the FECER stands with regard to the European social dialogue.
(*) – 20% greenhouse gas emissions, 20% of the EU’s energy consumption must come from renewable sources, – 20% primary energy by improving the efficient use of energy.
Activity Report 2006 – 2009
Posted on April 20, 2009
In 2006, the FECER elected a new Executive Board. As new President, Matthias Hessling (die Führungskräfte VAF-VDF, Germany) was elected. General Secretary continued to be Pat Carragher (BACM-TEAM, United Kingdom), with Alfons Bleyleven (die Führungskräfte VDF-VAF, Germany) as Deputy General Secretary. Treasurer was Michel Morillo (FIEG, France), who later was replaced by Jean-Claude Pelofy (FIEG, France). As Vice Presidents, Jan Olav Brekke (Lederne, Norway), Jean Conan (Enermine, France) and Gaspare Carlo Ingianni (FEDERMANAGER, Italy) were elected.
Meetings of FECER took place frequently in places such as Brussels, Cologne, Stockholm, Paris and Dublin, where FECER met last year with the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions. Focus of the most recent meeting of 3 June 2009 in Brussels is the question, whether more competencies in energy policy should be transferred to the European Commission.
Several position papers and press statements were published and discussed with decisionmakers on a European level. Due to the important changes in the European energy and related research industries, the growing role of the European Commission in European energy policy, the significant consequences on all employees in the sector and the particular responsibility of energy managers to deal with these changes and challenges, such papers and statements were of particular importance to put forward the opinion of management representatives from the European energy industry.
FECER’s position papers focused on topics such as the “Future challenges of European energy supply”, “Clean Coal for Europe”, or the “EU Emissions Trading Directive”. Corresponding press releases were published, e.g. one in which FECER called on the G8 to meet environmental challenges. Climate change and the environmental challenges how to deal with this problem were one of the key discussion topics in FECER’s meetings. Among the other topics were questions of legislation concerning the nuclear energy industries or the Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology and its potential.
In addition, FECER as the representative federation of management signed a further agreement with a company, this time with TOTAL.
Furthermore, FECER established new contacts to federations, who could be interested in a future membership. At the moment, however, FECER has active member federations from a limited number of countries only: Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Norway and Spain. Any help from the CEC or from CEC’s member associations/federations to increase the number of members in the FECER would be highly welcomed.
Dr. Matthias Hessling, President of FECER, 20 April 2009
-
Recent News Items
-
News Archives
