Current COTANCE president, Andreas Kindermann, has called on the European Commission to adopt a common approach to helping manufacturers to cope with and, in time, recover from the Covid-19 crisis.

In recent comments, the chief executive of Austria-based Wollsdorf Leather and the current head of the industry’s representative body in the European Union, said that the measures that have come to light so far have come from member states’ national governments. Mr Kindermann said a co-ordinated approach on how and when to lock factories down, close borders or restrict transport would be better.

He said COTANCE was supporting national leather industry organisations in helping them present a case for support to their governments. At the same time, he said the organisation was in dialogue with the European Commission to make clear the negative effect the current restrictions are having on the leather industry there.