Brussels, October 2025 — The European Chemical Regions Network (ECRN) has set out its position on the forthcoming Critical Chemical Alliance (CCA) and the designation of Critical Chemical Sites (CCS), calling for a coordinated, regionally anchored approach to ensure Europe’s chemical sector remains resilient, sustainable, and globally competitive. ECRN thanks the Commission for recognising the importance of involving territories in shaping Europe’s future industrial resilience.
As the only EU-wide network representing regional authorities in key chemical regions, ECRN is uniquely placed to act as a strategic partner in both initiatives. The network stresses that Europe’s industrial transition must be driven not only by policies and investments at EU and national levels, but also by regional ecosystems that connect industry, innovation, and territorial development.
ECRN can support by:
-
Bridging regional and European levels, bringing forward local insights that shape effective and realistic industrial policies.
-
Representing Europe’s chemical regions and integrated industrial clusters as key actors in the green and digital transition.
-
Coordinating the bottom-up identification of CCS opportunities, based on a shared methodology and dialogue among territorial stakeholders.
-
Ensuring alignment of funding, regulatory, and permitting tools with real regional investment needs, particularly in areas such as decarbonisation, circularity, infrastructure, and workforce upskilling.
ECRN’s members highlight that regional governments have a direct understanding of local industrial ecosystems, infrastructure gaps, and investment readiness — providing territorial intelligence that complements national and European decision-making.
In the designation of Critical Chemical Sites, ECRN proposes to co-develop selection criteria, launch pilot sites among its member regions, and ensure balanced geographic representation across Europe. This approach would prevent concentration of support in a few Member States and foster cohesion through shared governance, knowledge exchange, and transparent monitoring.
ECRN also calls on the European Commission to:
-
Link CCS status to dedicated EU funding instruments such as Cohesion Policy, the Innovation Fund, and structural tools.
-
Enable regional participation in governance, alongside Member States.
-
Expand support beyond IPCEIs to include cluster-wide decarbonisation, digitalisation, and circular economy projects.
-
Introduce corrective mechanisms to ensure fair geographic distribution of investment.
“The transition of the chemical sector must be a shared European project — not only between institutions and industry, but also across territories,” ECRN stated. “By involving regions, the EU can turn industrial policy into concrete transformation on the ground.”
