EuroCommerce will participate in the 66th UFEMAT Congress, taking place from 30 September to 2 October 2026 in Paris, under the theme “Building Bridges – forever!”.
The Congress will explore how stronger cooperation is needed in a time of economic uncertainty, geopolitical pressure, and regulatory change — including links between wholesale and industry, national federations and Europe, and tradition and innovation.
Theme of the day day 2: “European Compendium – From Regulation to Market Reality”, will focus on European construction-related legislation and its practical impact on the wholesale building materials sector, with contributions from industry stakeholders and policymakers.
EuroCommerce will be represented by Leena Whittaker, Director for Competitiveness, who will speak on “Wholesale in Europe – The Invisible Giant”. Her intervention will highlight the scale and importance of European wholesale, often described as an “invisible giant” with 1.6 million enterprises, €818 billion in value added, and 9.8 million people employed. Construction-related wholesale represents around 10% of this activity.
The discussion will underline the strategic role of wholesale in Europe’s construction supply chains and its contribution to housing, competitiveness, and the functioning of the Single Market.
Registration: UFEMAT Paris Congress
Leena Whittaker
Director, Competitiveness
Leena is EuroCommerce’s Director of Competitiveness coordinating advocacy on retail and wholesale ecosystem competitiveness. She is British and has a practical knowledge of EU policy-making from her experience as a legal and policy officer in the European Commission (DG GROW) and is a qualified UK lawyer.