eu market survey 2003 - crecer

Origin of imports
Although EU manufacturers still dominate the market, their position is steadily declining. In
1997, the EU manufacturers accounted for 70 percent of the EU import and, five-years later, this
share had dropped to 65 percent. Despite the fierce competition, mainly from China, which is the
largest EU supplier of plasticware (15% of the total EU import in value), the EU manufacturers
still play a dominant role in the EU market. The dominance of the EU manufacturers is mainly
due to the “economies of scale”, which enable the manufacturers to produce at low cost. (See also
chapter 4). In 2001, 65 percent of the total import derived from EU-countries. The most import
suppliers in the EU are Spain (14% of the total EU import in value), Italy (10%), Germany (10%),
France (9%) and the Netherlands (7%). Other important non-EU suppliers are the United States
(4%), Taiwan (3%) and Poland (3%).
Glassware
In 2001, the EU import of glassware dropped by 2 percent in value terms, to a value of € 1.85
billion. The imported volume amounted to 780,000 tons, representing a drop of 9 percent in
comparison with 2000. Over the period between 1997 and 2001, the glassware market shows a
growth trend, as volume increased by 18 percent.
Looking at a national level, we see that only a few countries show growth in 2001. Germany and
France together with the United Kingdom are the leading import markets, with shares of
respectively 20, 12 and 15 percent. The UK, together with Ireland, ranks amongst the highest
growth markets in the EU that year. The United Kingdom, however, shows an interesting
development, as the imported value increased by 7 percent, whereas the volume dropped by
almost 14 percent. The Belgium/ Luxembourg import also shows in interesting development, in
2000, as the import increased by 34 percent, whereas in 2001, the import dropped by 28 percent.
Over a longer period of time, the Netherlands shows the highest growth, but this growth occurred
mainly in the late nineties. In 2000, the Dutch import even dropped by 13 percent on a volume
basis, whereas, the value grew by 10 percent. In 2001, however the imported volume increased by
a mere 3 percent. France and Spain also showed a growth in terms of volume, both import
markets grew by 5 percent. The import of Germany and Italy declined by 5 and 3 percent that
same year.
Figure 5.11 Relative attractiveness of EU-countries with respect to the import development of
glassware
15%
% growth 2001 in €
Ireland
10%
United Kingdom
Greece
5%
Finland
Denmark
France
Austria
Spain 0%
Sweden
Netherlands
-15% -5% 5% 15% 25% 35% 45% 55%
-5%
Italy
-10%
Portugal Germany
-15%
Belgium/ Luxembourg
-20%
-25%
% growth 1997 - 2001 in volume
Source: Eurostat, 2002
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