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Business in Europe

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The first edition of EUobserver's Business in Europe magazine looks at business and industry in Europe.

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pliance industries. In the next year the commission will propose rules for easier and safer dismantling, reusing and recycling of electronic displays. There are also incentives planned for producers to make appliances that are more easily disassembled. CECED, the European appliance manufacturers association, has been trying to show its members how to take advantage of the incentives, through position papers and outreach. TOUGH MEDICINE? Of course the most obvious business opportunity to come from the circular economy strategy is in recycling. The strategy has set a common EU recycling target of 65% of municipal waste by 2030, and 75% of packaging waste by 2030. Today, only around 40% of the waste produced by EU households is recycled. Marco Mensink, from the Confederation of European Paper Industries has observed that the opportunities for new jobs resulting from the demand created by the higher targets cuts across sectors. “This is an area where the needs of industry closely align with many other stakeholder positions,” he says. Though the circular economy may sound like tough medicine, industry groups in Brussels have been quick to make sure their members can reap the full advantage of new opportunities created by the strategy. Under the circular economy model a manufacturer is liable for dealing with Photo: Phil Greaney This will mean that waste collection and recycling is going to have to be ramped up, and that will translate into business opportunities. The process gas from one production can be used to produce energy used in other steps of the production Photo: Symbiosis Center Denmark

Integration – What is European Business doing? Work is an engine for integration of refugees, but EU companies struggle with recognition of qualifications, language, culture and red tape. By Lisbeth Kirk Thirty-six German companies teamed up under the name Wir-Zusammen (We Are Together) in autumn 2015 to promote integration of refugees. It happened just weeks after German chancellor Angela Merkel had declared “we can do this” at a press conference on 31 August, raising hopes for thousands of asylum seekers wanting to start a new life in Germany The internships last from three weeks to three months and are meant to give an insight of the company. Eighty refugees have already had an internship, which is a pretty good number, according to Heike Neumeister. She says the process has not been easy. ThyssenKrupp, an engineering and steel conglomerate headquartered in the western German city of Essen, was one of the initiators of Wir-Zusammen. apprenticeships to refugees over two years. “When the crisis arose, we thought: What can we do to tackle the problem? How can we help the government and help the people? So we encouraged Heike Neumeiste told EUobserver. “For example here in Essen there is a refugee camp one kilometre from us, and we urged people to donate things and allowed employees to help them during working hours with for example learning German. “We also thought: What could be a long term help to integrate people? And that is of course work. If people work here, they have a better chance of integration.” Photo: Surber BUSINESS IN EUROPE JUNE 2016 — 21

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