Over the past year, I have been sharing actions taken by the EUEW to consolidate and elevate our role as voice of electrical wholesalers in Europe. A first step taken in this direction was working closer than before with our members as well as with our Senior Adviser for EU Affairs to make sure EUEW follows all major European level legislation of interest for the industry. This collaboration translated into the very appreciated project of EUEW – the monthly Advocacy Calls organized by EUEW Senior Adviser for EU Affairs, Mr. Bernd Gruner.
As the months passed and the interest for this project increased along with the great feedback received from our members in respect to how useful the information shared was, it became obvious that the presentation needed to also include a more practical approach, specific for the needs of electrical wholesalers. Seeing as the expertise of Mr. Gruner was extensive but not very specific for the electrical wholesalers’ sector, Mr. Gruner and the EUEW decided to setup a Working Group for Advocacy, which now has three additional members from France, Finland and Germany supporting Mr. Gruner and, more importantly, the advocacy efforts of the EUEW. Each of the members is specialized in several topics of interest for the EUEW, following them closely and translating them for the interests of the electrical wholesalers.
The main structure was then in place. However, it also needed more efficient instruments in order to get to the next level. Therefore, in June, as I was also informing you back then, the EUEW made a historical decision of reducing the number of members of its Board of Directors to just 6 representatives of the national federations and the EUEW Presidium, reaching a total of 10 members of the Board of Directors. For the first time ever, the EUEW Board of Directors and General Assembly were no longer the same, with now 17 members. Major and historical change I say because, as we have seen during the past months, this has been an excellent decision, which came at the right time, and which allows for the activity of this European federation to unfold at the right pace.
We are not stopping here though... with a lot of new legislation and challenges coming our way, it is becoming clearer than ever that EUEW should not only follow new legislation and inform its members of what is coming but build a direct bridge for communication with the European institutions to voice the concerns, the recommendations, and the needs of electrical wholesalers.
EUEW has already reacted to several European directives along with partners, but we are preparing to grow our own wings and start to also fly on our own soon. Some new partnerships with peers and other professionals are to be announced next year as EUEW is slowly taking a step further in advocacy and moving towards lobbying, a most natural step for the benefit of our members. This is all I can say for now, keep following us and more will be revealed with next year’s projects.
In the meantime, wishing you all warm and joyful holydays!
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