VEKA AG CEO Elected President of EPPA

Andreas Hartleif, CEO of VEKA AG, is the new president of the European industry association of PVC window profile manufacturers.

He was unanimously elected at the general meeting of the European PVC Window Profile and Related Building Products Association (EPPA) at the end of last year.

The initial term of office will be two years. Hartleif, 44, has been active on the steering committee of the EPPA since the association’s foundation. He succeeds Marco von Maltzan, CEO of the Profine Group. In his first statement as president, Hartleif clearly set out his priorities for his term of office: “It is crucially important for us as an industry sector to continue pooling our interests in Europe and to have appropriate representation before key political committees.

Our economic performance, with over 20,000 jobs and an annual turnover of almost 5 billion euros, should give us extra weight.” The new president plans to campaign for a more widespread acceptance of EPPA among industry representatives and wants to get company heads more strongly involved in European decision-making processes.

Another focus will be the Europe-wide harmonisation of quality and testing standards for PVC window profiles. “For the sake of the entire sector, we need to make sure national testing and certification procedures are standardised and mutually recognised,” said the VEKA AG CEO. Realising the necessary Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for PVC window profiles is part of that agenda. In putting these goals into action, Hartleif can count on full support from the members of the presidential committee and the steering committee.

The attending members unanimously elected Albert Vasseur, Director of Plastics Converting Business, Tessenderlo Group, to the post of vice-president. Also unanimously elected was Ludo Debever, of Deceuninck, Belgium, who was confirmed as treasurer. Hartleif thanked his predecessor, Marco von Maltzan, for his achievements, highlighting his exemplary efforts supporting the implementation and adherence to the European PVC industry’s Voluntary Commitment to Sustainable Development. Hartleif also stressed that he would continue Maltzan’s tireless campaigning for the creation of national and European economic stimulus plans for building renovation.

In addition to the election of the new presidential committee, the delegates at the EPPA general meeting also officially adopted the association’s working programme for 2011. Alongside the PVC industry’s Voluntary Commitment pledge, the EPPA programme also includes a range of projects to boost the widespread acceptance of PCV windows and window profiles.

“Our products make a valuable contribution to energy-efficient building refurbishment, and thus to the sustainable reduction of CO2 emissions on an international scale. We have to make it our mission to communicate this fact vigorously and increase the awareness of the general public. And we must ensure that we remain in close dialogue with all political committees that are of importance to our industry,” Hartleif concluded.

The EPPA is the European association of manufacturers of PVC window profiles and related building products. European manufacturers account for approx. 25 percent of the world’s production of window profiles.

More information is available on the Internet at www.eppa-profiles.org or directly from

Mrs. Ulrike Grawe EPPA Executive Secretary Avenue de Cortenbergh, 71 1000 Brussels/ Belgium

Phone +32-(0)2-7324124 Fax +32-(0)2-7324218

mail to: ulrike.grawe@eppa-profiles.org