Innovation is crucial for the European chemical industry to remain competitive, achieve the goals of the Green Deal and strengthen Europe’s strategic autonomy. Following the Antwerp Declaration, Cefic now presents a 9-point action plan outlining the key steps it believes policy makers and the EU need to take to position the chemical industry as a global innovation leader.
The chemical industry is at a critical juncture as it must strive for circularity, digitalization, climate neutrality, and the transition to safe and sustainable chemicals while remaining competitive. This ambitious goal will require a fundamental shift in how and what is produced by 2050. A supportive regulatory and policy framework is needed to make this transformation a success. And as the industry association emphasizes, the time to act is now.
Cefic’s 9 actions to drive innovation in the European Chemical Industry:
- Reduce administrative burden.
- Prioritise pilot plant infrastructure, including co-location facilities, in the future Horizon Europe programme.
- Foster EU-wide collaboration across industries and academia, supporting cross value chain initiatives and sufficient joint centres of excellence for Intellectual Property (IP) development and sharing.
- Streamline funding applications with a focus on mature technologies and initial market entry.
- Make sustainability and industry competitiveness strategic drivers for innovation and development of new technologies & products.
- Implement effective and efficient market pull measures.
- Establish clear standards on data sharing and calculation protocols
- Strengthen Europe’s innovation ecosystem to retain and attract talent through a collaborative approach among industries, startups, research entities, educational institutions, and funding bodies.
- Promote innovation in the chemical industry as beneficial for society through public events and online platforms.
- The European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC), Brussels, Belgium
- Nine-Point Actions Plan, cefic.org 2024. (accessed September 30, 2024)
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Antwerp Declaration—Industry Leaders’ Agenda for European Competitiveness
