FEP s recent initiatives & activities

FEP s recent initiatives & activities

FEP s recent initiatives Activities & activities Real Wood initiative A growing number of members apply for real wood membership for their wooden floor with a top layer of minimum 2.5mm. The Real Wood logo is supported by a related consumer-oriented website which stresses the advantages of wooden flooring in 9 languages: English, German, Spanish, French, Polish, Dutch, Hungarian, Italian and Croatian. This portal boasts a high monthly hit rate and visits average several minutes. Modernised website In the beginning of 2011, FEP launched its new www.parquet.net website focusing on a modernized layout with updated content and various user-friendly features. Intranet access The intranet section of the www.parquet.net website is a source of information (statistics, annual meeting documents, presentations, newsletters, etc.) always available for the members. 1

Das Haus media campaign Parquet and realwood promotion campaign on the Das Haus webportal and magazine in Germany. Still today, the German campaign generates an average of often up to 15.000 single visitors a month. Other media campaigns project possibilities FEP has offered to progressively assist member national associations willing to promote parquet and real wood in a similar way as it was done with Das Haus in Germany. Relations with the European Parliament and Commission Direct representation of the members within the European institutions on questions deemed important for any member. Defending the interests of the European parquet producers at all relevant levels. Strengthening relations with cognate EU industry federations and organisations Apart from excellent contacts with the European authorities, FEP has also developed a sound working relationship with a.o. EOS (sawmilling), FEIC (plywood), EPF (panels), WEI (wood preservation), FEFPEB (pallets), CEN (standardisation), etc. Within short, FEP will also delegate an expert in the relevant ISO meetings. Cheap imports from outside the EU FEP strongly favours the double F principle: FREE, BUT FAIR TRADE! and acts to secure the level playing field for all stakeholders in close co-operation with DG Trade of the European Commission. 2

Made in In a clear letter sent to the European Commission FEP strongly urged to consider putting parquet on the relevant list as soon as possible. Aim: insure correct origin marking on parquet products and eliminate any misleading information for the European consumers. Log exports from EU FEP secretariat undertook actions together with the European Federation of the Sawmill Industry towards the European authorities to solicit understanding for the problem and point to the danger of wood shortage. CE-marking for wood floorings After a second extension of the co-existence period, CE-marking for wood floorings became applicable as of 1 March 2010. FEP was involved in shaping the content of the scheme and considers it to be the unique criterion for that a product has fulfilled the SHE protection requirements before being placed on the market. Eco-label for parquet After preliminary consultations, the FEP Board opted against supporting the eco-label scheme for parquet. FEP, together with other concerned EU industry federations, addressed letters and went to meetings with relevant EC authorities explaining its opposition to the project in question. Though the eco-label is and remains a voluntary scheme, FEP continues to monitor its application and any modifications to its content. US customs case FEP remained in ongoing contact with DG Trade. The European Commission put the issue on the agenda of the permanent Market Access Advisory Committee. Frequent and focused consultations lead to EC drafting a direct letter to the US authorities. Comments made by the EC and stakeholders were taken into consideration by the US administration. Nevertheless US authorities remain resilient to the issue and continue to classify multi-layer parquet as plywood, which is subject to a higher import tax. The possibility of new bilateral trade agreements between the US and Europe now brings new opportunities in this framework. 3

Free Trade Agreement FEP was consulted in the Free Trade Agreements negotiations between the EU and India, Malaysia, Russia and China. Ü-mark and AFSSET FEP, together with CEI-Bois, discussed the issue with the European Commission. The Commission services monitor the dossier and remain in close contacts with FEP. Annual Statistics Statistical report presenting the production, consumption, imports and exports in the FEP member countries as well as the latest developments on the wood and construction markets. An important source of updated information for the modern industry captain. Quarterly statistics Members expressed their wish to monitor short-term fluctuations in a closer way. FEP has developed a trustworthy approach with an independent bailiff. Data collection, aggregation and dissemination are fully confidential. Only participating companies receive the aggregated results. 4

Studies on European Consumers Perceptions & Expectations towards Parquet The first edition of the study was conducted in 2009 in Sweden, Germany, Poland, Austria, France, Spain, the Netherlands and Italy. The 3 main conclusions were that parquet is a great product, the market can still grow and there is a need for educating consumers. An essential marketing tool for every member company, financed by FEP. After the crisis hit, a second edition of the study analysed if the negative economic climate had affected the industry and in what way. The backbone of the original questionnaire was only slightly actualised, to allow for an objective comparison of the results and conclusions. As in the original version, a detailed survey was conducted for Sweden, Germany, Poland, Austria, France, Spain and Italy. However, two additional countries were analysed in a more targeted way: Estonia and the Czech Republic. Meeting with representatives of national member federations Upon initiative of FEP, the heads of the member national associations now meet once a year and exchange views and expectations on FEP s actions and activities. The goal is to develop synergies to propel the European parquet industry towards a stable and prosperous future. Technical committee The technical committee discusses relevant technical topics for our industry: standardization at CEN and ISO level, research projects, national developments and best practices, etc. Marketing Committee The marketing committee is a small and dynamic ad hoc group which a.o. finalised the questionnaire and Study on consumers perceptions and expectations towards parquet on both occasions. Other topics are under consideration. 5

FEP News Published 6 times a year, the FEP News gathers information on our parquet sector and the woodworking industries in general, as well as press articles, market indicators, upcoming trade shows, FEP membership developments, etc. to keep our members up-to-date with actuality at European level. In the first edition of 2012, members discovered a thoroughly reviewed issue boasting a more modern and fresh layout enhancing their reading experience. This provided also for a good opportunity to propose additional sections tackling other topics of interest. EU Timber regulation Guidance leaflet on the implementation of the European Union Timber Regulation and the requirements for companies operating in the wood and furniture sector, considering the entering into force of the EUTR requirements on 3 March 2013. Developed together with CEI-Bois, the leaflet was disseminated to all FEP members and is available in English, French and German. Defending the original FEP, on its own initiative or on request of some of its members, pointed to erroneous and unjustified product descriptions and related argumentations quoted in magazine articles or during trade fairs (e.g. Vinyl-Parkett). Daily occupation of FEP secretariat Member support, telephone and e-mail assistance, personalised services, promotion of the organisation, expanding the RW initiative, strengthening contacts with EU services, relations with press, consultants, etc., visits to relevant fairs, organisation of numerous meetings. 6

Presentation brochures Useful communication tool presenting the federation, members, product, market, etc. to European institutions, (potential) members and other stakeholders. Also available for the members on simple request at the Secretariat. Organisation of the annual FEP General Assembly A focused and work-intensive task, which was rather rewarding in the past few years with a participation often exceeding 100 delegates. This event is the one and only yearly forum of the European Parquet Industry. European Parquet Congress Yearly event traditionally gathering various interesting international speakers who tackle a wide range of actual industry related topics: technical, marketing, financial, legislative, European and local markets. Sponsoring of Wood industry exhibition in the European Parliament FEP co-sponsored the Wood Industry Exhibition in the European Parliament (3 to 7 December 2012) by offering parquet flooring for the show and thereby stressing the message that wood and parquet are sustainable, help mitigating climate change and are an unmissable element of interior decoration. Expanding FEP membership and building a stronger European cluster Since 2006, FEP s management team succeeded in increasing FEP affiliation by roughly 50%, in welcoming new producers, associated members and enlarging its membership to the new EU regions. At the Istanbul General Assembly in May 2012, the federation boasted 75 members (52 parquet manufacturing companies, 8 national federations and 15 suppliers). 7

Providing growth and stability to the Federation During the last 6 years, FEP s financial situation has been considerably strengthened creating an array of concrete possibilities for initiatives and actions benefiting its membership. Sponsoring of Istanbul General Assembly In difficult economic times, FEP wanted to stress the importance of the presence of its members during the yearly General Assembly and therefore decided to partially cover the costs for all its participating members at the Istanbul GA. FEP Award A new initiative since 2012 distinguishing a person, company, organization or authority having made a significant contribution to the parquet sector, to stress the positive contribution for our industry and increase the visibility of the activities within the parquet industry, thereby strengthening its image. Presence in the press Throughout the years FEP has developed a fruitful and solid co-operation with the representatives of the major trade magazines, newspapers and media. This partnership insures a good visibility of our industry, products and messages all over Europe. Quarterly market related press release 4 times a year, Board members analyse the latest developments and tendencies on the European markets. The related press release is circulated among the members and enjoys a broad coverage in the European trade press. Committed to being the voice of the European Parquet Industry at European level and beyond, FEP will strive to further enhance its impact and influence on specific issues that have a bearing on the stability and consolidation of the parquet industry and the prosperity of its members. 8

European Federation of the Parquet Industry Fédération Européenne de l Industrie du Parquet Föderation der Europäischen Parkett-Industrie T: +32 2 556.25.87 F: +32 2 287 08.75 E: info@parquet.net W: www.parquet.net - www.realwood.eu