Today, we the launch of our Climate and Environment Campaign. This campaign is about getting policy makers to reconcile the diverging growth and environmental agendas so that the UK can place itself at the centre of a low carbon economy.

Is government regulation costing you money and time, or causing you to lose orders? Between 2002 and 2010, the cost to UK business of the annual flow of new regulation more than doubled from £5bn in 2002 to in £11.5bn 2010.

To cut carbon emissions, we need energy-intensive industries. From the steel in wind turbines to the chemicals used in energy-saving lighting, they provide the building blocks for an energy-efficient and low-carbon economy. Yet the current approach to climate change policy is increasingly putting their future at risk. Policies that push UK electricity prices above those of our competitors will undermine their ability to attract mobile investment and compete in international markets.

Global trends over the last two decades have created huge competitive pressures as well as major opportunities for companies in Wales. They have responded by moving their competitive offering away from cost, and towards innovation, new products and services. Underpinning this transformation has been the ability of companies to move quickly to respond to changing market circumstances and to seize new opportunities.

As we enter the second half of the year now is a good chance to take stock of the recovery and assess what the rest of this year might hold for manufacturers on Merseyside

This week saw the publication of the government's overdue review of waste policy in England. Its launch has been notable perhaps for the chorus of condemnation by an unusual mix of trade associations, retailers and campaign groups.

All the recent evidence, including EEF's own surveys show that exporting is the lifeblood for many manufacturers. Whilst the EU remains the most favoured destination, the faster growing markets are in emerging countries which can present considerable challenges for those companies wanting to break into them, especially the small and medium size ones.

In the current harsh economic climate, there can be no doubt that in order to survive, businesses have to think of ways of diversifying...

EEF's latest report continues to bring positive news from across the manufacturing sector. The official statistics have now shown six consecutive quarters of expansion in manufacturing output and our latest Business Trends Survey points to another three months of growth in the coming quarter.

Last week we were disappointed by data suggesting that on a pro rata basis, the banks were falling short of their target of lending to SMEs agreed in February with the government under the so-called 'Project Merlin'. That data related to 2011q1.