The European Commission announced a number of new policies during the summer, including the Action Plan for the Chemicals Industry, which aims to strengthen the competitiveness and modernisation of the EU chemical sector. The plan focuses on solving key issues, such as high energy costs, unfair global competition and weak demand, while promoting investment in innovation and sustainability. The Commission also presented a simplification omnibus on chemicals to further streamline and simplify key EU chemicals legislation, together with a proposal to revise the governance of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA).
A Critical Chemical Alliance should be established to address the risks of capacity closures and identify critical production sites. The existing Import Surveillance Task Force should enhance its activities related to monitoring of chemical imports.
Implementing the Affordable Energy Action Plan should help to reduce high energy and feedstock costs. The use of renewable energy should also be encouraged. Other announced actions include an Industry Decarbonisation Accelerator Act to support market growth and investment in clean technology, a Bioeconomy Strategy and a Circular Economy Act to boost the EU’s resource efficiency and chemicals recycling, and the launch of EU Innovation and Substitution Hubs to accelerate the development of safer, more sustainable chemical substitutes. The Commission has also confirmed its intention to minimise PFAS emissions through science-based restrictions while ensuring the continued use of PFAS in critical applications under strict conditions.