Once again, our present and future plans have been turned upside down by a major, unexpected event with immense impact and unforeseeable consequences: the return of war to Europe.

Faced with this situation, people are reacting in different ways, individually or collectively, at home or in Ukraine, to assert their profound opposition to this war and to support those who are being affected the most. Reacting, through words and deeds is essential, out of solidarity, out of respect, because the worst thing of all would be indifference.

We believe that companies can and must also react, because they are an integral part of society and have a social mission to fulfill. A company is a “legal person”, and this legal term has a particular resonance today.

Firstly, EIFHYTEC wants to react by taking a stand: war is an abomination, we condemn it with all our strength, as well as the President of Russia who started it. Regardless of the geopolitical stakes that are beyond us, in Ukraine as elsewhere, anyone who freely chooses to start a war before having exhausted all other possibilities for conflict resolution will always be culpable. Of course, we wouldn’t want to confuse a country with its president as we know that there are many opposed to war in Russia.

Secondly, we will act in solidarity with those affected by the war within the capabilities of our human and financial resources.

Finally, we will react by continuing to implement our company vision. Creating connections and being a place of stability in an uncertain world are essential missions that we try to fulfill on a daily basis. Implementing a meaningful company vision also means working for peace. We have built EIFHYTEC around 3 pillars, which are written in our name: energy transition, reindustrialisation, and Europe. The current circumstances dramatically illustrate the meaning of this project in the following manner: by highlighting the environmental and geopolitical dangers of our dependence on fossil fuels, emphasizing the immense weakness of an economy without industry, and demonstrating the need for a powerful, democratic and united Europe, where the awareness of a common identity is a bulwark against war.

Furthermore, the current situation challenges us beyond the conflict in Ukraine. For several years we have been experiencing a period of successive crises of unprecedented scale and violence. Bad news is commonplace, and there is a risk of general discouragement. If we are not mindful of this, there could be major consequences to society as a whole. Continuing to work on the development of our machines in our workshop in Northern Alsace is not to ignore the disasters of the world, but to demonstrate an act of resistance against the distressing events surrounding us.

It means choosing to hope that a desirable future is possible and deciding to act to contribute to it.