WDK confirms its planned European rubber industry lobbying platform will exclude tyres, leaving representation with Tyres Europe.
German rubber industry association WDK has clarified that its proposed European lobbying platform with counterparts in France, Italy and Spain will focus on general rubber goods rather than tyre manufacturing.
The clarification follows comments by WDK president Michael Klein at the association's autumn conference in Frankfurt on 3 November, where he outlined plans to establish closer cooperation between national industry associations before the end of November.
According to European Rubber Journal, WDK confirmed on 9 November that the proposed arrangement would cover the general rubber goods sector exclusively, with tyre manufacturing explicitly excluded.
The association said it had no intention of creating a competing structure or duplicating the work of Tyres Europe, which already represents tyre manufacturers at European level.
The distinction comes two months after Tyres Europe formalised cooperation with three national industry associations.
On 2 September, Italy's Assogomma, Spain's Consorcio Nacional de Industriales del Caucho and France's elanova joined Tyres Europe as association members, creating closer links between national industry representation and European policymaking.
Those agreements were intended to improve coordination on manufacturing competitiveness, investment conditions and industrial policy.
WDK has also developed its ReifenDeutschland platform, which cooperates with Tyres Europe on tyre-sector matters.
The proposed new arrangement therefore concerns a different part of the rubber industry rather than an additional European lobbying organisation for tyre manufacturers.
Although the planned platform will exclude tyres, the industrial challenges highlighted by WDK overlap with those facing European tyre manufacturers.
Speaking at the autumn conference, Klein called for more competitive energy prices, faster industrial permitting, reduced administrative burdens and stronger conditions for manufacturing investment.
WDK has also advocated a European rubber raw-material strategy, including greater supply-chain resilience and strategic reserves of essential materials.
For tyre manufacturers, similar competitiveness concerns are already reflected in Tyres Europe's policy work.
In October, the Brussels-based association called for more effective EU trade defence measures, highlighting investment pressures, competition from imported tyres and announced European plant closures.
Tyres Europe reported that approximately 40% of tyres newly fitted in the EU during 2024 were manufactured outside the Union. It also cited nine announced tyre plant closures across Europe over the preceding two years, affecting more than 4,400 employees.
The developments underline a common concern across Europe's rubber industries: maintaining manufacturing investment and production capacity while responding to international competition.
For the tyre sector, however, established representation through Tyres Europe remains the relevant European framework.
WDK's planned platform represents a parallel development for general rubber goods manufacturers rather than a change to the tyre industry's existing representation.
Tags: WDK, Tyres Europe, ReifenDeutschland, European tyre industry, rubber manufacturing, industry associations, EU industrial policy, tyre manufacturing, trade defence, European competitiveness.
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