The World Jewellery Confederation has established a new body, the CIBJO European Jewellery Guild, made up of “leading associations from across the continent”, according to a press release.
The new body, which was created on September 23 at the VICENZAORO jewellery show in Vicenza, Italy, aims to “advocate for the common interests of European based participants in the jewelry and gemstone industries, and to represent them in contacts with officials, departments and agencies of the European Commission, European Parliament and European Council”.
The president of the new body is Bernadette Pinet-Couq, Executive President of UFBJOPP (Orfèvrerie de Pierres & des Perles). During the guild’s first meeting, held on the same date, the newly appointed president outlined the challenges facing the body, among them “the lack of balance in tariffs between Europe and its primary jewelry trading partners, harmonizing the often widely divergent thresholds for cash payments between different countries within Europe, the establishment of a compulsory “Made in Europe” seal for jewelry produced in Europe, and addressing issues related to the introduction of recently passed conflict minerals legislation by the European Parliament”.
