{"id":9116,"date":"2025-07-23T14:53:47","date_gmt":"2025-07-23T12:53:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bioeconomy-austria.at\/?p=9116"},"modified":"2025-07-23T15:14:31","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T13:14:31","slug":"europas-chemiebranche-im-wandel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bioeconomy-austria.at\/en\/2025\/07\/23\/europas-chemiebranche-im-wandel\/","title":{"rendered":"Reshaping Europe\u2019s Chemical Sector"},"content":{"rendered":"

The chemical industry is a cornerstone of the European economy: With \u20ac655 billion in annual revenue (2023) and 1.2 million direct employees, it is the EU\u2019s fourth-largest industrial sector and involved in over 96% of all manufactured products. However, the industry is under pressure: Since 2003, it has lost 50% of its global market share, and more than 20 production site closures have been announced in the past two years. Its competitiveness has been weakened by high energy and raw material costs, geopolitical tensions, and declining market demand.
In response, the European Commission has presented the European Chemicals Industry Action Plan<\/a><\/strong>. Its goal is to safeguard the industry\u2019s competitiveness, advance its transformation, and make it more resilient, sustainable, and innovation-driven. The strategy focuses on four key areas: enhancing resilience, securing energy supply and promoting decarbonisation, creating lead markets and innovation, and removing regulatory barriers.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

1) Strengthening Resilience<\/strong><\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

By the end of 2025, the Commission aims to establish a \u201cCritical Chemicals Alliance<\/em>\u201d to secure critical production capacities in Europe and coordinate investment. Bio-based and biotechnological solutions will also be strategically supported \u2013 for example, through an IPCEI (Important Project of Common European Interest) on biotechnological value chains and support for regional innovation clusters.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

2) Energy, Raw Materials and Decarbonisation<\/strong><\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The EU chemical industry is doubly dependent on fossil resources \u2013 both as an energy source and as a feedstock. This makes the sector particularly vulnerable to price volatility and global supply chain disruptions. The action plan addresses this with a range of measures.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Affordable Energy Supply:<\/strong> Through the CISAF<\/a> \u2013 Clean Industrial Deal State Aid Framework \u2013 electricity price support will be made available for energy-intensive companies. A prerequisite is investment in decarbonisation technologies such as electrification, biomass, CCUS, or hydrogen. The proposed Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act<\/a> aims to simplify permitting procedures for green industrial projects and improve grid connection for electrified chemical facilities.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Funding:<\/strong> In parallel, the EU is investing billions through programmes such as Horizon Europe, the Innovation Fund, and InvestEU into research, infrastructure, and market-ready projects. A proposed \u201cCompetitiveness Fund\u201d is expected to provide additional support for decarbonisation measures.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Strengthening the Bioeconomy:<\/strong> A key element is the increased use of bio-based feedstocks. When sourced locally and used sustainably, they can substitute fossil inputs and reduce emissions. The Bioeconomy Strategy, scheduled for late 2025, aims to boost innovation, establish bio-based materials as viable alternatives, and facilitate access to biomass. Voluntary labelling of bio-based products is also envisaged.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Circular Economy:<\/strong> To better utilise plastic waste as a secondary resource, new rules for chemical recycling<\/a> are planned, including a clear mass balance approach. The \u201cCircular Economy Act\u201d, expected in 2026, is intended to strengthen supply and demand for secondary raw materials and establish an internal market for waste.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

CCUS Technologies:<\/strong> For processes that are hard to electrify and decarbonise, carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) technologies are essential. The EU plans to create a legal framework for CO2<\/sub> markets and infrastructure. Under the Net Zero Industry Act<\/a>, oil and gas companies will be required to meet EU 2030 carbon storage targets. The 2026 revision of the EU ETS will examine how temporarily bound CO2<\/sub> can be accounted for, how permanent removals can offset residual emissions, and whether to integrate the waste sector into the ETS.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

3) Lead Markets and Innovation<\/strong><\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Investments in non-fossil feedstocks and green technologies often fail due to insufficient market demand. With the Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act<\/a>, the EU plans to introduce new sustainability and resilience criteria by the end of 2025. Additionally, the Commission recommends tax incentives<\/a>, such as tax credits for green technologies and accelerated depreciation for climate-friendly industrial installations.
Another focus is the development of sustainable alternatives, such as bio-based and biotechnological substances. New EU-wide innovation and substitution centres will support companies and foster partnerships. The revised \u201cSafe and Sustainable by Design\u201d framework and \u20ac120 million from Horizon Europe aim to drive the development of environmentally friendly chemicals. An \u201cAdvanced Materials Act\u201d is also planned to support sustainable materials across the entire value chain.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

4) Simplification of the Regulatory Framework<\/strong><\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

With the Sixth Simplification Package (2025)<\/a>, the EU aims to streamline chemicals legislation \u2013 including the CLP, fertiliser, and cosmetics regulations.
Administrative burdens in environmental law are also to be reduced. In agriculture, the use of biological agents \u2013 such as biopesticides \u2013 is to be promoted by easing market access.
Regarding PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or \u201cforever chemicals\u201d), the Commission plans a gradual phase-out, particularly in consumer products such as food packaging or cosmetics. Critical uses, such as in medical applications, will remain possible if emissions are reduced across the product life cycle. Innovative technologies, including bio-based approaches, will be supported under the Bioeconomy Strategy.
Further adjustments are planned for the EU Taxonomy (Do No Significant Harm criteria), the REACH Regulation, and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) to simplify procedures and accelerate processes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

In summary, the European Chemicals Industry Action Plan marks a crucial step in repositioning the chemical sector in Europe. Its aim is to safeguard competitiveness while strengthening climate protection, innovation, and resilience. Bio-based solutions and new technologies, in particular, offer promising opportunities for climate action, innovation, and regional value creation.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\r\n
European Chemicals Industry Action Plan<\/a><\/div>\r\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[:de]Der EU-Aktionsplan im \u00dcberblick[:en]Key Points of the EU Action Plan[:]<\/p>\n

\u00a9Pexels\/Martin Lopez<\/div>\n
Reshaping Europe\u2019s Chemical Sector<\/div>\n
Key Points of the EU Action Plan<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9117,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-netzwerk"],"acf":{"gelbes_kasterl":""},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bioeconomy-austria.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9116","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bioeconomy-austria.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bioeconomy-austria.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bioeconomy-austria.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bioeconomy-austria.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9116"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.bioeconomy-austria.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9116\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9134,"href":"https:\/\/www.bioeconomy-austria.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9116\/revisions\/9134"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bioeconomy-austria.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9117"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bioeconomy-austria.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9116"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bioeconomy-austria.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9116"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bioeconomy-austria.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}