Brussels, 7th January 2019 - Sylvie Lemoine, Senior Government Affairs Manager with Dow, has been appointed Cefic’s Executive Director Product Stewardship effective immediately, as successor of Peter Smith, who has retired from Cefic. As Executive Director Product Stewardship, Sylvie will be responsible for the key chemical legislation topics, including the implementation of REACH, an EU framework for endocrine disruptors, and the interface between chemicals, products and waste. Cefic Director General Marco Mensink said:“Sylvie brings a unique skill set to the Product Stewardship team. The combination of her advocacy experience in Brussels with an in-depth technical knowledge of the EU chemicals legislation makes her a perfect fit for this role. I would like to thank outgoing Executive Director Peter Smith for his contribution to the Product Stewardship team over the past seven years. ” Sylvie Lemoine is a seasoned public affairs professional with more than ten years of experience in EU government affairs. Prior to joining Dow Corning in 2016, she was Director for Technical and Regulatory Affairs in A.I.S.E., the International Association for Soaps, Detergents and Maintenance products. Sylvie Lemoine holds a PhD in Organic Chemistry from the Louis Pasteur University in Strasbourg, France and started her career as an analytical lab supervisor in ExxonMobil Chemical.

Brussels 13 December 2018 - Cefic welcomes the ratification of the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) by the European Parliament. Yesterday’s vote will allow the agreement to be implemented beginning of 2019, so that both businesses and consumers as a whole can reap the benefits of this modern, comprehensive and balanced Agreement. This agreement is also very much welcomed at a time when the international community is witnessing a rise of protectionism across the world. Japan is an important trading partner for the European chemical industry with more than € 11 billion worth of chemicals going both ways. The leading EU exports to Japan are petrochemicals and specialty chemicals. The agreement will remove almost all tariffs on chemicals and address certain non-tariff measures enabling a level playing field between both partners. The agreement could also bring opportunities on regulatory cooperation to set standards and converge global trade rules around a high level of protection. This agreement is part of the EU’s bilateral trade agenda. Cefic supports this agenda as well as the EU’s leading role to modernise the multilateral trade system under the aegis of the WTO. In this regard, Cefic welcomes G20 leaders’ commitment to improve the functioning of the WTO agreed at the recent summit in Buenos Aires.

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Brussels 13 December 2018 - In response to the European Plastics Strategy, the European Technology Platform for Sustainable Chemistry (SusChem) and partners have issued  a new report: Plastics Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda in a Circular Economy. This report identifies the challenges to plastics circularity and defines the types of solutions needed to address them. Future research is required in three main areas: Circularity by design, recycling and alternative feedstock.  

Brussels 14 December 2018 - Cefic supports the European Council’s conclusions on the Single Market. More needs to be done to ensure that the Single Market provides a solid underpinning for an outward-looking, confident and autonomous European Union.  Said Marco Mensink: “The chemical industry has invested in Europe relying on a fully functioning single market, one without borders. If the EU does not stop fragmentation of the single market, it will become less attractive as a place to invest, grow and recruit ”. A strong and resilient Single Market is a precondition for a successful industrial strategy and an indispensable factor for the chemical sector to operate and compete on a global scale. Read Cefic views on the Single Market.

Cefic is expecting modest 0,5% growth in 2019 compared to 2018. While we expect that the industry can recover in 2019 from a decline in demand from the automotive industry in 2018, the industry’s 2019 performance might be impacted by trade tensions between the US, China and Europe, as well as the uncertainty around Brexit. Investors and customer industries are becoming more cautious in this volatile environment, while demand from the automotive, agricultural and construction sectors – the key customers of the chemical industry - is predicted to increase slightly in 2019. Marco Mensink, Cefic’s Director General: “We remain cautiously optimistic about the 2019 prospects. The forecasted 1,5% growth of manufacturing industries should be sufficient to keep demand for chemicals at the same or higher level in 2019.” 2018 posted a 0,5% decline in chemical production compared to the previous year because of higher oil prices, lower demand from the automotive sector, and unusually low water levels in European rivers, which caused transportation delays. Over the long term, the EU chemical industry is expecting stable growth fuelled by increasing demand in sustainable solutions and technologies developed by the industry, as the EU moves further towards a lower-carbon and more circular economy. Download the Facts and Figures of the European chemical industry 2018

Brussels 29 November 2018 - Poor application of Single Market rules by Member States remains a challenge – according to the Commission’s state-of-play released last week. “Just as we are resisting protectionism outside the EU, we should resist fragmentation inside the EU”, said Internal Market and Industry Commissioner Elżbieta Bieńkowska. In the chemical sector too, new barriers fragment the single market. Some Member States introduce country-specific restrictions on chemicals often based on conflicting scientific evidence or rely on restrictive interpretation of EU legislation to prohibit market access. In other areas, such as export control, harmonisation has not yet delivered the expected benefits of a common EU rulebook, with the result that companies still have to deal with a patchwork of national regimes. Cefic supports the EU’s efforts to address the challenge of delivering the Single Market. A strong and resilient Single Market is an indispensable element for the chemical sector to operate and compete successfully. Download the Single Market position paper.

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Brussels 28 November 2018 - Today the European Commission presented its scenarios outlining ways the EU economy can reach carbon-neutrality by 2050. These scenarios require a huge transformation of all sectors of the economy in a very short timeframe.  Marco Mensink, Cefic Director General said: “The long term strategy is a big step forward for the EU’s climate ambition.  With only 30 years left for the European society and industry to change, we are facing an enormous challenge and opportunity ahead of us. Industry in the EU needs a robust transformation route that secures investment in order to succeed as one cannot underestimate the size of this challenge. The Commission strategy has clarified the size of the investments needed. Together with the Commission, industry has identified the technological options available.  Now we need to secure Europe gets these investments, often made by global companies. We need to make clear to all what is required from industry, policymakers and citizens, while keeping the EU economy running”. The chemical industry is confident it will seize the opportunities of this transformation and be the provider of the future solutions needed.  As clearly recognized, the chemical industry is and will be at the heart of the solution, but we need these solutions to be produced by European industry. For that reason we need a strong European strategy for energy intensive industries and electricity production, especially for the next ten years, which are crucial. We look forward to discussing and agreeing on the concrete measures that will need to be introduced to support the chemical industry in implementing this transformation. For the chemical industry evolving towards carbon neutrality would mean major investments in new industrial processes involving the use of alternative feedstock sources (CO2, biomass and waste) into a circular way, sectoral integration and transformation of our existing plants. This also means the chemical sector needs access to significant amounts of affordable low carbon electricity, access to a modern infrastructure and financial mechanisms to support the required innovation.  A package of policy, financial, innovation and regulatory support will be needed to overcome the higher costs of investments and new business models, in a sector and markets that compete at global level. Early 2019 Cefic will launch it’s mid century strategy, outlining a more detailed analysis on our sector, the opportunities and our needs.

Brussels 28 November 2018 - Europe’s Energy-intensive (EIIs)1 and Electricity2 industries have responded to the European Commission’s call for contribution to the EU Long Term Strategy by commissioning or carrying out and publishing two critical reports 3,4, examining and explaining pathways and scenarios for long-term EU greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions in industry andpower generation to enable the low-carbon transition. Taken together, the report from VUB/IES commissioned by the EIIs and the report from Eurelectricwith analytical support from McKinsey give unique insights into the untapped potential, but also thevery real challenges, of the deep industrial and energy transition that are central to the EU strategy.They describe a wide range of technology pathways for GHG emissions reduction for industry andpower production, also the likely demand for critical resources and infrastructure for the level ofdeployment of these technologies required for achievement of net-zero emission economy by 2050.They furthermore describe scenarios for power demand across an increasingly electrified EU industry. The two studies show that low carbon & carbon free electricity is, by a wide margin, the mostimportant resource needed for the GHG emissions reduction strategy of Energy-Intensive Industries. Full execution of the pathways will require a very substantial increase of the overall amount of electrical power generation in Europe. The implications of this will need to be examined andunderstood by all stakeholders, and to support this, the Energy Intensive and Electricity industries areplanning further joint work to develop more detailed demand scenarios leading up to 2050. Both reports make clear that a new and integrated EU industrial strategy is required to complete atransition to a low-carbon economy in the EU. The EIIs and Eurelectric propose the following toachieve an efficient and effective EU industrial policy: An ambitious RD&I programme within a new HorizonEurope Mission: Carbon-Neutral Industry and Low-CO2 Emission Industrial Processes, addressing the competitiveness challenges that energyintensive industries face in deploying transformational technologies, and providing adequatesupport for demonstration of advanced low-CO2 technologies to improve market readiness. Policies to enable the power industry to deliver globally competitive energy prices; including asufficient, reliable and competitively priced carbon neutral electricity supply to enable extensiveelectrification of industry. Development of a plan which maps the low-CO2 energy demand, supply and infrastructure needsby region and by time, to enable fully aligned strategies of industrial electrification and additional power generation. Financing mechanisms that help companies refurbish old industrial facilities and modernise production processes. Support for the creation of industrial clusters to achieve symbiosis, which is recognised as animportant tool in improving resource efficiency and reducing CO2 emissions of industrial facilities. Incentives for the use of public procurement and standards for products to develop the marketdemand for low CO2 products and processes, based on an appropriate life-cycle approach. All of the industries will need very large sustained investment programmes spanning over threedecades to deliver the low-carbon transition. Throughout, Europe’s economy must be competitive inorder to thrive. Therefore, a coherent EU regulatory framework – encompassing climate, energy,industrial, trade and environmental policies – is a necessary precondition to ensure a global playingfield and support these investments. Both reports, recently published by the industries, are to inform further development andimplementation of the European Commission’s Strategy for long-term EU greenhouse gas emissionsreductions. Energy-intensive and Electricity industries believe that by integrating the reports’ findingsand recommendations into the upcoming 2050 framework, the EU will be able to preserve andenhance industry’s role as a driver of the economic growth in Europe and leader in industrialinnovation, throughout this transition. Download the joint call for an ambitious and comprehensive EU industrial strategy to enable industry contribution to the EU long term GHS goals. Click on the image to enlarge it. Notes1. CEFIC, the European Chemical Industry Council, CEMBUREAU, the European Cement Association, CEPI, theConfederation of European Paper Industries, CERAME-UNIE, the Liaison Office of the European Ceramic Industry,EULA, the European Lime Association, EUROALLIAGES, the Association of European ferro-alloys and siliconproducers, EUROFER, the European Confederation of Iron and Steel Industries, EUROMETAUX, the European nonferrousmetals association, Fertilizers Europe, the major fertilizer manufacturers in Europe, FuelsEurope, theEuropean Petroleum Refining Association and Glass Alliance Europe, the European Alliance of Glass Industries 2. EURELECTRIC, the union of the European Electricity Industry, 3. VUB/IES: “Industrial Value Chain: A Bridge towards a Carbon Neutral Europe” Tomas Wyns, Gauri Khandekar,Isobel Robson, September 2018 https://www.ies.be/files/Industrial_Value_Chain_25sept.pdf 4. Eurelectric: “Decarbonisation Pathways” Part 1 June 2018 (https://cdn.eurelectric.org/media/3172/decarbonisation-pathways-electrificatino-part-study-results-h-AD171CCC.pdf) and Part 2 November 2018 (https://www.eurelectric.org/decarbonisation-pathways/)

Brussels 22 November 2018 - We are pleased to hear a draft agreement has been reached. If signed off on Sunday, the agreement represents another small step towards the much needed certainty that business has been calling for. From the outset the chemical industry’s priorities have been: 1. frictionless, tariff-free trade, 2. regulatory consistency, 3. access to skilled people. Marco Mensink, DG Cefic and  Steve Elliott, Chief Executive CIA jointly state: With that in mind we believe this political declaration continues to keep alive a successful resolution to our industry’s concerns. In particular the explicit reference to exploring the possibility of cooperation of UK authorities with Union agencies such as the European Medicines agency, the European Chemicals agency and the European Aviation safety agency is an important platform for our industry. Given this commitment, chemical businesses in the EU27 and the UK will be working with negotiators to ensure the UK’s continued participation in the European Chemicals Agency” For more information please contact:  Irene van LuijkenCefic Director Communications+32 2.676.72.87 or [email protected]     Simon MarshCIA Employment and Communication Director+44 (0) 20 7963 6725 or [email protected]