Cerame-Unie Appoints Heimo Scheuch as New President and calls for a tailored approach under the Clean Industrial Deal

Cerame-Unie, the umbrella organisation of the European ceramics industry, announced in a press release on 11 December 2024 the appointment of Heimo Scheuch, CEO of Wienerberger, as its new President for the mandate 2025-2027. The announcement was made during the 2024 European Ceramic Days, held in Brussels on December 2-4, 2024, which also celebrated the 30th anniversary of the European Parliament Ceramics Forum, currently chaired by MEP Elisabetta Gualmini.

Heimo Scheuch, who has served as a Vice-President of Cerame-Unie since 2010, succeeds Alain Delcourt, who has led the organisation since the same year. Alain Delcourt was honoured for his exceptional leadership and dedication to the European ceramic industry. He expressed his gratitude to the industry and to all executives from different sectors who have worked with him to build a strong common voice for ceramics in Europe reflecting the global competitiveness of this sustainable and innovative sector.

“I am honoured to be appointed as the new President of Cerame-Unie,” said Heimo Scheuch. “The European ceramic industry is facing significant challenges, including energy costs, raw material supply, and climate change. I am committed to working with our members, policymakers, and stakeholders to ensure the long-term sustainability and competitiveness of our industry.”

During the European Ceramic Days, Mario Cunial of Industrie Cotto Possagno was re-appointed as a Cerame-Unie Vice-President. Additionally, Graziano Verdi, CEO of Italcer was elected as the new President of the European Ceramic Tiles Manufacturers Federation (CET), and will also serve as a member of the Cerame-Unie Board. He will be supported in his mission to lead CET by outgoing CET President Roman Blazicek, CEO of Lasselsberger s.r.o, and Raul Carnicer, Manager of Cevica.

Call for a tailored approach under Clean Industrial Deal

Against the background of the Letta and Draghi report, the Commission’s political guidelines and the Budapest declaration of 8 November on the New European Competitiveness Deal, the European ceramic industry calls for a Clean Industrial Deal “transition dialogue on heterogeneous energy intensive industries”. Such dedicated dialogue is needed to provide tailor-made support for EU ceramics, a very heterogenous energy-intensive sector mainly composed of small & medium sized as well as multi-site companies often located in remote areas, but also structured in strong ceramic clusters in countries such as Italy and Spain.

“Implementing an effective and comprehensive Clean Industrial Deal that leaves no sector behind should be the main task of the new European Commission,” emphasised Heimo Scheuch.

Cerame-Unie, established in 1962, represents nine ceramic sectors in Brussels. The organisation advocates for the interests of the European ceramic industry at the EU level, promoting competitiveness and sustainability.