Nordzucker Post 4/2024 - 24 October 2024

Representation of interests through associations – added value for the sugar industry

Changing legal requirements, developments in the sugar market and political and social expectations have a major influence on Nordzucker. To ensure these diverse topics are addressed, Nordzucker is involved in various national and European associations.

In some of our Nordzucker countries, such as Germany, Poland and Slovakia, our interests are represented by national sugar associations, in addition to industry and sector associations. In other countries, we have to communicate our issues and concerns directly to politicians and administrators via the national entities.

Whether agricultural, environmental, energy, industrial or trade policy, a large number of legal regulations can be traced back to European requirements. This makes it all the more important to be informed about current developments as early as possible and to represent our position to parliament, the commission or representatives of the member states. Since effective lobbying – at both national and European level – is very time-consuming and resource-intensive, Nordzucker colleagues work with their respective expertise in various organisations. This active support enables the European Association of Sugar Manufacturers (Comité Européen des Fabricants de Sucre, CEFS), for example, to develop an industry position and, with the backing of its members, effectively represent the interests of the entire European sugar industry. A good example of this is the work on the Renewable Energy Directive (RED III), in which the possibility of the sustainable use of beet pulp for energy generation at EU level was successfully argued.

Another example of a successful presentation of sustainability efforts is the video clip recently produced by CEFS. It can be seen in eight short sequences in posts on LinkedIn and X.