The Critical Chemicals Alliance (CCA) held its first General Assembly on 13 January 2026 at the Chemelot Chemical Park in Geleen, the Netherlands. The initiative, launched by the European Commission, aimed to strengthen the resilience and competitiveness of the European chemical industry.
The Alliance brought together EU institutions, Member States, industry representatives, research organisations and other stakeholders to address key challenges affecting the sector, including supply-chain dependencies, global competition and declining investment in chemical production.
During the meeting, participants discussed coordinated actions to safeguard critical chemical production in Europe and to identify chemicals that are essential for strategic value chains such as pharmaceuticals, clean technologies and advanced materials.
The Critical Chemicals Alliance was established as part of the European Chemicals Industry Action Plan, which aims to strengthen the competitiveness, sustainability and strategic autonomy of Europe’s chemical sector. The Alliance is expected to meet regularly to define priorities, develop policy recommendations and support investments in resilient and climate-neutral chemical production.
Initiatives like this highlighted the increasing importance of collaboration between policymakers, industry and research organisations to secure Europe’s chemical value chains and support innovation in sustainable chemical production.