The last time all EuropeOn members were in the same room was for the 2019 Installers’ Summit in Switzerland. This year, we were pleased to reconvene all together in Luxembourg, at the invitation of our local member association, the Fédération du Génie Technique.
This was the time to look back at the past year’s achievements and plot a course for the year ahead. Lots has changed since the last Summit in Switzerland: AIE became EuropeOn, we revamped our visual identity, bolstered our work on skills with a dedicated new Working Group, harnessed these new developments to make our members’ voice heard by EU policymakers to a whole new extent and made sure to follow EU Green Deal discussions, since electrical contractors will (and already have) a key role to play to achieve climate neutrality in Europe.
Between our formal Annual General Meeting, kick starting our event, and our Annual Conference, which closed it, we also had a chance to reflect on how EuropeOn and our member associations can reach out to starting electrical contracting companies and young contractors. Our common aim is to engage with electrical contractors who are at the earlier stages of their careers and might find the European perspective can bring them insight into how they can better grow their business and anticipate the (technological) changes ahead in the electricity sector.
We were kindly invited by FGT to tour their state-of-the-art competence centre, where electrical professionals, among others, can access numerous training opportunities to make sure they are ready to take on the challenges of the energy transition. This is where they’ll learn (or ‘up-skill’) to be able to install EV charging infrastructure, solar panels and more. Not only did we visit the competence centre : EuropeOn’s Secretariat also took part in meetings with the management of this organisation because we partner in a new Erasmus+ project that aims to set up a common qualification framework for electricians (stay tuned for more information soon!).
Our Annual Conference, held in cooperation with GCP Europe, was the perfect way to close off this exciting week. European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights Nicolas Schmit started the Conference with a recorded speech. We were then very pleased to welcome Claude Turmes, Energy Minister of Luxembourg (and former MEP), who coined electrical and mechanical contractors as the “high-tech climate fighters”. Following speakers clearly showed how the energy transition can bring advantages to stakeholders at all levels of society, from consumers to businesses, and how installers will be a crucial workforce in its achievement.
All in all, we were thrilled to be able to finally meet all our members again and map out the bright future ahead for our sector as well as for our association!
Until next year!
