EU Chemical Industry Plan: industriAll Europe calls for measures to enhance workers’ participation, impose social conditionalities and protect workers and environmental standards.
The European Commission unveiled its long-awaited Chemical Industry Action Plan on 8 July, aiming to boost the competitiveness and modernisation of the EU chemical sector. While we welcome this initiative and acknowledge that several proposals from our position paper “A plan to save the workers of the chemical industry” have been taken on board, the Communication falls short where it matters most: concrete measures for workers are missing.
As General Secretary Judith Kirton-Darling stated: “Actions must reach workers — not just the boardroom.”
The plan sets out a series of measures to be implemented over the next three years, structured around four key pillars.
- Strengthening resilience: Safeguard critical chemical production in the EU, open new markets, and protect European industry from unfair competition.
- Securing energy and decarbonisation: Ensure affordable energy, support decarbonisation, and advance the shift to a clean and circular economy.
- Promoting innovation and lead markets: Foster innovation, support sustainable chemical solutions, and create demand through lead markets.
- Simplifying regulation: Streamline the regulatory framework to reduce burdens and speed up implementation.
We welcome the creation of the Critical Chemicals Alliance and its aim to map strategic molecules and support a more coherent, EU-wide strategy that strengthens production security and anticipates global trade disruptions. We also acknowledge the commitment to identify critical sites and molecules (EVP Stéphane Séjourné already mentioned p-xylene, acetic acid or methanol as some of them), which will benefit from targeted support to modernise their infrastructure.
However, we strongly call for social conditionalities and the involvement of trade unions in both the governance of the Critical Chemicals Alliance and the drafting of the list of critical sites and critical molecules. Beyond the Alliance and the list, promoting social dialogue, collective bargaining and workers participation in all Member States should be seen as a priority to prepare the future of our industry. It is essential that any site receiving public is bound by commitments on investment and production as well as the highest standards in terms of workers’ rights, social dialogue, and collective bargaining.
” Workers must have a seat at the decision-making table about the future of sites and the sector, otherwise we risk being on the menu. This is doubly important when public money is involved, workers must have a voice—not just corporate executives. To ensure a truly Just Transition, the development of critical sites and regional investment plans must meaningfully involve trade unions from the outset” said General Secretary, Judith Kirton-Darling.
Moreover, the Action Plan urges Member States to back Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEIs) based on their fiscal capacity, to modernise crackers, infrastructure and improve energy efficiency. Better mobilising IPCIEs to support investment in state-of-the-art industrial technologies is welcome, provided it also benefits workers in countries with limited fiscal capacity. The Commission must step up and deliver a truly EU-wide strategy, backed by EU-level funding and instruments, to guarantee equal opportunities for all workers and regions. We cannot accept policies that deepen inequality and fracture solidarity.
Additionally, as an open economy, safeguarding a level playing field against unfair competition from outside the EU remains a top priority. Over the past year, the Commission has launched 18 trade defence investigations targeting anti-competitive practices by non-EU countries. IndustriAll Europe strongly believes that these investigations must be accelerated to protect our industries and workers. Particular attention must be given to tackling harmful and unverified online sales, as well as suspicious intermediaries that undermine fair trade.
Additionally, customs controls must be significantly stepped up to prevent the import of unfairly traded goods. Similarly, negotiations with trade partners to maintain market access and open new markets are vital for the chemical industry, one of the most export-oriented sectors in Europe. Only through decisive and swift action can we defend jobs, uphold fair competition, and ensure sustainable industrial growth in Europe.
Access to decarbonized energy at a competitive price is vital for the future of industry. IAE welcomes the announced measures to mitigate the energy price volatility such as new state aids rules (CISAF) or the extension of the list of activities eligible for ETS indirect cost compensation. However, IAE still believes that deeper reforms and additional investments are needed to ensure that enough decarbonized electricity will be made available for industrial sites.
While we welcome the emphasis in the Communication on circular economy solutions and the promotion of CCS and CCU within an industrial ecosystem approach, we urge caution regarding the growing reliance on the bioeconomy, given the limited supply of sustainable biomass.
We welcome the revision of the ECHA’s duties and functioning, along with the allocation of additional resources to reinforce its capacity. We will continue to closely monitor the upcoming revision of the REACH Regulation, expected later this year, to ensure that the protection of workers and the environment remains aligned with the highest possible standards.
Regarding PFAS, we acknowledge the Commission’s decision not to impose a blanket ban. We support this balanced and pragmatic approach, which recognises the essential use of certain PFAS in key strategic sectors. At the same time, it provides a clear framework to drive innovation and accelerate the development of safer and more sustainable alternatives.
Lastly, we urge the Commission to exercise extreme caution when pursuing efforts to reduce bureaucracy. While industriAll Europe supports streamlining procedures—such as faster permitting—to improve industrial efficiency, this must never come at the expense of workers’ health or environmental protections. As the ETUC rightly demands, the ‘Omnibus proposal’ released alongside the chemicals package must not make it easier for companies to use substances that are carcinogenic, mutagenic, or toxic for reproduction in the production of consumer goods, such as cosmetics and fertilizers. Allowing such substances puts factory workers, farmers, hairdressers, and many others at serious risk of exposure.
Worker safety and public health must never be sacrificed on the altar of corporate profit. The current trend towards deregulation must stop. We call for a regulatory framework that puts people before profit and maintains the EU’s commitment to the highest safety and environmental standards.
Judith Kirton-Darling states that “The Commission wants Europe to lead on clean chemicals, launching new data platforms, tax incentives for industry, and sustainability criteria in public procurement procedures. That’s good, but unions want to know where the social guarantees are during the transition. There are no job guarantee mechanisms, no mention of collective bargaining and no support for worker training in green and digital skills. The true strength of the European chemical industry lies in its highly skilled and dedicated workforce—one of the most qualified in the world.”