At the annual General Assembly of CETS aisbl, the European surface treatment association on 24 June 2022, Dr Malte Zimmer was elected as the new president.
CETS, the umbrella organisation of national associations and federations in the field of surface finishing, but not limited to the EU, has been led by Dave Elliott, Director of association SEA in the UK, for the past nine years. During this time, he has gained a good reputation as a reliable contact person. Through various discussions and events, CETS has been able to represent its positions well, despite having to manage with limited human and financial resources.
At the General Assembly, the Presidium had to be newly elected in accordance with the statutes. Dr. Malte Zimmer, ZVO Head of Environmental and Chemicals Policy, was elected as President. Vice-President was H. Jaakko Kapanen representative of SGY in Finland. The third member of the Council is Anne-Sophie Maze, General Manager of UITS in France. Veerle Fincken, manager of VOM in Belgium will continue the function of General Secretary.
The task of the new Presidium in the next three years (2022-2023-2024) will be to continue the successful work so far and to expand it if possible. The surface industry is facing great challenges in the context of the Green Deal and the transformations, which make a strong and well-equipped European representation necessary.
We thank our ex-Board members Dave Elliott (SEA-UK) and Egbert Stremmelaar (NL) for their excellent work in defending the surface finishing industry on a European level. CETS will count them in as advisors to the new Board.