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their energy-devouring business Before the energy crisis — which started during the COVID-19 pandemic and became a full-blown economic threat with Russia’s war in Ukraine — the price charts were reassuringly stable They have since become a terrifying succession of peaks and troughs with Russia choking off cheap natural gas deliveries in a battle of wills with European leaders over their support for Ukraine each price spike represents another bite from the bottom line of a 77-year-old company that counts generations of French families Afghan diners and African tea drinkers among worldwide users of its glasses Actor Daniel Craig drank from one its “Picardie” tumblers With energy costs burning through the firm’s cash reserves and viability Duralex president Jose-Luis Llacuna is taking radical action that he hopes will save his business: He is stopping production The thunderous machines that turn incandescent blobs of molten glass into hundreds of thousands of tableware items each day are to fall silent for a few months on Nov Duralex is to join a growing array of European firms that have reduced or halted production because they are hemorrhaging money on the energy needed to keep running “The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is look at the daily change in electricity and gas prices,” Llacuna said in an interview at the plant outside Orleans in central France there’s an incredible amount of volatility,” he said and the outlook for the future is a complete unknown.” rationing and blackouts when demand surges this winter and of an expected recession as businesses shut down Europe is scrambling for energy alternatives stockpiling gas and urging consumers to save EU energy ministers on Friday struggled to find consensus at emergency talks on the bloc’s latest proposals for alleviating the crisis the costs of heating the furnace to above 1,400°C — with roaring torrents of flaming gas transforming the molten glass into tableware on production lines overseen by sweating workers — are set to burn through 40 percent of the company’s revenue if the company keeps producing The production shutdown will last at least four months The glass furnace cannot be switched off entirely because that could destroy it The aim is to then fire it back up by the spring with drops in pay just as inflation is gnawing at household budgets “It’s very hard to stomach,” said Michel Carvalho a production line crew chief who has been with the company for 17 years everyone is suffering from this war,” he said And we’re not responsible for what is happening.” Duralex is to fall back on its stockpiles to keep customers supplied during the stoppage using the production halt as an argument to try to lure away the company’s customers He is knocking on government doors for financial help speaking by telephone to the French economy minister last week Link IconCopy linkFacebook LogoShare on FacebookXShare on XEmailShare via EmailLink copied to clipboardShaken and stirred: Ukraine war hits James Bond’s glassmakerIconic French tableware brand Duralex is joining a growing array of European firms that are reducing and halting production because of soaring energy costs provoked by Russia's war in Ukraine France — For the glassmakers at iconic French tableware brand Duralex Daily updates from energy traders drop into their email inboxes Before Europe's energy crisis — which took off after the COVID-19 pandemic and became a full-blown economic threat with Russia's war in Ukraine — the price charts were reassuringly stable each price spike represents another bite from the bottom line of the 77-year-old company that counts generations of French families With energy costs burning through the firm's cash reserves and viability Duralex President José-Luis Llacuna is taking radical but business-saving action: He's stopping production The thunderous machines that turn incandescent blobs of molten glass into hundreds of thousands of tableware items each day will fall silent for a few months on Nov Duralex will join a growing array of European firms that have reduced and halted production because they're hemorrhaging money on the energy needed to keep running “The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is look at the daily change in electricity and gas prices,” Llacuna said in an interview at the plant outside Orléans in central France there’s an incredible amount of volatility," he added European Union energy ministers struggled to find consensus at emergency talks Friday on the bloc's latest proposals for alleviating the crisis the costs of heating the furnace to above 1,400 degrees Celsius (above 2,500 Fahrenheit) with roaring torrents of flaming gas and of transforming the molten glass into tableware on the production lines manned by sweating workers are set to burn through 40% of the company's revenue if it keeps producing The glass furnace can’t be switched off entirely because that could destroy it “It's very hard to stomach,” said Michel Carvalho And we're not responsible for what is happening.” Duralex will fall back on its stockpiles to keep customers supplied during the stoppage using the production halt as an argument to try to lure away the company's customers speaking by phone to the French economy minister last week France — The white-hot furnaces of Duralex have been burning near the banks of the River Loire not a soul is to be found along the silent production lines of the firm’s glass factory in La Chapelle-Saint-Mesmin — and not a single piece of glass is being produced The furnace itself is in “hibernation” mode until April — because the gas required to keep it going at full blast was simply too expensive molten glass would solidify inside it and the equipment would be destroyed "We had to make a difficult decision,” said José-Luis Llacuna the group that owns the Duralex and Pyrex brands Even if you don’t realize it, you’ve probably held a Duralex product — an unsung triumph of European manufacturing. Their sturdy glass tumblers can be found in every French school canteen and are exported all over the world. You can buy them at the U.K.’s John Lewis department stores and even at the MoMA in New York.  Llacuna says the factory's future in Europe is safe but its struggle this winter is symbolic of a deeper crisis affecting Europe’s centuries-old manufacturing base as high energy prices and high politics collide The cost of energy — driven to record levels in 2022 by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its shut-off of vital gas pipelines — has become too much for many manufacturing firms to remain competitive if they stay in Europe. At the same time a vast package of American subsidies for green industry has shocked and angered EU officials — a supposed ally — tempting businesses to relocate across the Atlantic.  The energy crisis is particularly acute for sectors like glass which require the most energy to fuel their industrial production — and between them employ 8 million people. But facing ever-growing economic competition from both China and now an increasingly protectionist United States European leaders openly warn of a contagion of “deindustrialization” affecting all manufacturing across the continent Preventing such a dire outcome — and the social and political fallout — has shot to the top of the EU’s agenda in 2023.  the European Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton singled out efforts to boost Europe’s global competitiveness as “a top priority.”  “High energy prices in Europe will continue to affect our fellow citizens but also entire industrial supply chains and [small and medium-sized businesses],” Breton wrote and other countries are trying — not without success — to attract our industrial capacities “Without a strong manufacturing base,” Breton’s email states plainly export ability and job creation is at risk.” As of December, European manufacturing — and in particular the continent’s industrial powerhouse Germany — had weathered the worst of the winter energy crunch, cutting gas consumption by around 15 percent without a corresponding drop in overall output.  Deepening the gloom, the long-cherished vision of Europe as the driving force of a green industrial revolution has been thrown into serious doubt by Joe Biden’s $369 billion Inflation Reduction Act With its huge subsidies for green technologies and "Buy American" clauses European leaders fear the package will lure ever more of their companies across the Atlantic we see the real danger of deindustrialization and disinvestment,” a senior European Commission official said.  Losing manufacturing capacity means losing jobs general secretary of the IndustriALL European Trade Union which represents manufacturing workers — has “political consequences.” “We are not exaggerating when we say that European industry — starting with the energy-intensive industries on the frontline — is facing an existential crisis,” Triangle said The same “existential” threat applies to the 8 million workers in the energy-intensive sector In its annual labor market review the European Commission said that employment rates in the EU remained strong despite the war with unemployment falling to 6 percent in July But it also warned that continuing high energy costs pose a “major risk” to jobs in the EU particularly in energy-intensive manufacturing sectors “We don’t see it in the data yet … but it is a concern for the future maybe as soon as this year,” said the economics minister of an EU country Though fairly small in scale so far, the impact on jobs is already being seen. In December, the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound) published a list of job losses — including 441 layoffs at an aluminum oxide producer in Tulcea Romania in June; 300 at a plant in Žiar nad Hronom in Slovakia by the end 2022; and 350 at a ceramic tiles manufacturer in Poland The organization said the energy crisis’s impact on employment in the bloc was likely “only just beginning.” like in the former manufacturing towns of northern England that went on to back Brexit accelerated industrial decline in central and eastern Europe could fuel a voter backlash against the EU that might yet become an enduring legacy of the crisis “There are political consequences,” Triangle said thriving on the dissatisfaction and disappointment The parties that have an anti-European agenda Government officials are already “worried,” according to the minister quoted above Warnings from businesses have grown louder — as have calls for coordinated, EU-level action to rescue Europe’s manufacturing base. France is now demanding a comprehensive new EU-wide "made in Europe" strategy.  the decision of BASF — the German chemicals giant based in Ludwigshafen since the mid-19th century — to permanently downsize its operations in Europe sent shockwaves through European manufacturing EU leaders insisted they had heard the call The meeting produced an instruction to the European Commission to rapidly draw up proposals “with a view to mobilizing all relevant national and EU tools” to address the dual energy and competitiveness crises hitting European industry The issue is due to dominate an EU leaders’ summit scheduled for February 9-10 amid disagreements between countries over the way forward which path the bloc will take remains unclear.  Relaxing the EU’s strict state aid rules is a major focus among officials and EU financial support for manufacturing sectors is also under consideration.  In the short-term, governments may have to look at ways that existing funds — the Next Generation EU COVID recovery package and RePowerEU fund to wean the bloc off Russian fossil fuels — might “cater for the manufacturing investments needed,” the senior Commission official said So far, the biggest responses have been largely at national level. Germany — the bloc’s biggest economic power and by far its largest manufacturing center — has allocated €200 billion on a support package for businesses and households and will limit the price that industrial consumers pay for gas and electricity. France has announced a new bill to boost reshoring of green industries In a recent op-ed for the FT German Finance Minister Christian Lindner expressed confidence that “Europe and Germany can weather this crisis without a collapse in industrial production.” But others fear that without major intervention at the EU level those countries without the fiscal firepower of Germany will be left behind “Principles should be agreed at European level to maintain the level-playing field,” said the economics minister The debate is likely to rage throughout winter and into the spring more affordable energy contract that will allow the furnace to be fired up again and glass to be produced Company president Llacuna is confident that the firm can make it through the energy crisis and continue operating “Made in France” is an “emotional brand” for the company the “Made in Europe” brand has never been in more doubt “If the EU doesn’t step up its industrial policy,” one EU diplomat said Paola Tamma and Josh Posaner contributed reporting government wants to “take back control” of energy supply — but is it swapping one dependence for another and European officials are sparring in meetings of the International Energy Agency which helps guide global investments and policies has used the U.K.-hosted energy summit to boost fossil fuels over the transition to net zero Acting Assistant Secretary Tommy Joyce also took aim at Joe Biden’s climate legacy a small commune on the banks of the river Loire while her supporters handed out election leaflets I’m your En Marche candidate for the legislatives,” she told them fruit and dried sausages had no clue who she was but most agreed that this was not necessarily a bad thing even those who admitted they would not vote for her Janvier is one of President Emmanuel Macron’s amateur army of would-be parliamentarians Just one week from the first round of the French legislative elections she and more than 200 ordinary people like her are hoping voters will take a leap of faith and send them to the national assembly Retired school administrator Annie Desfroux thinks Janvier and the other La République En Marche (La REM) “novices” a former bullfighter among others – are most definitely a good thing “It’s a complete change of political faces,” she said “It’s nice to see someone new and not the same old people who have been around for 30 years.” “It’s a worry that they have no experience but we will just have to have confidence in them and hope they can make the changes the country needs,” she told the Observer more canvassers for different candidates turned up to hand out their leaflets also agreed that the new president’s idea of “renewing” the French political landscape was positive “The problem in France is we have the same MPs and senators for years who are completely disconnected from ordinary people and reality It’s a good idea to have some new faces,” said Ameziane Cherfouh who was leafleting for Jean-Philippe Grand we also need experienced people to help them along.” but said some new politicians would be “a breath of fresh air” selling cured sausages on his market stall said he would be supporting the green candidate but agreed: “It’s the political renewal we should have had years ago It will do French politics good.” A nurse returning from her night shift in the local hospital said she voted PS but hoped Macron would keep his promise to make overtime tax-free offered qualified support to the idea of “renewal” if it meant getting rid of the current MP Serge Grouard from the conservative Les Républicains party Grand added that his experience as a regional councillor for 18 years made him a better choice for the seat than Janvier She doesn’t know how to engage her adversaries En Marche candidate for the Loiret: ‘There’s a real sense things are changing.’ Photograph: @CarolineJanvierJanvier a graduate of the elite Sciences Po university says the reaction on the ground to her candidacy has been mostly positive She has put her job with an association for the homeless people who have the same lives and concerns they do and who haven’t been in politics before I’ve had the odd low comment along the lines of ‘shouldn’t you be at home looking after the children’ There’s a real sense things are changing.” covers some of historic Orléans and is part urban the Front National’s Marine Le Pen narrowly beat Macron in the first round with 23.53% of the vote losing in the second when Macron polled 63.16% Local issues include some of those affecting much of rural France: unemployment and the lack of mobile phone coverage and high-speed internet “It’s the first time I’ve engaged in politics and it’s because I engaged with Emmanuel Macron’s project,” said Janvier people wonder if we would be strong enough to challenge the government push through their projects and voice their demands France traditionally follows a presidential election by giving the victor a workable parliamentary majority The alternative – a period of forced “cohabitation” with rivals inevitably blocking reforms – would bring stagnation La REM has candidates in 526 seats – out of a total of 577 – of which 266 are women An opinion poll by Ipsos for Le Monde on Friday suggested La REM could gain a large majority of between 395 and 425 seats out of the 577 director of the thinktank Fondapol and a professor at Sciences Po says being surrounded by novices – only four of Macron’s ministers have previous government experience – means Macron will be forced to rely on a civil service populated by fellow graduates of the elite Ecole Nationale d’Administration That could lead to Macron being an authoritarian “hyper-president” “I’ve never seen an administration so presidentialised,” Reynié told the Anglo American Press Association though I’m not suggesting it’s intentional or even a philosophy … But with so many novices around him as the market winds up and the rain begins the rival canvassers stand chatting together clutching leaflets of new and not so new faces “May the best man win,” said one as he left Janvier hopes she will win the two-round vote on 11 and 18 June This is the archive of The Observer up until 21/04/2025 The Observer is now owned and operated by Tortoise Media Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page.