Overview
The file concerns an upcoming European Commission legislative initiative titled “A second Chemicals Industry Package.” The initiative is in a pre-proposal stage, with the Commission currently waiting for its own publication. The analysis is based on the provided procedural narrative, institutional handling details, and stakeholder outreach and position data.
Institutional handling
The initiative falls under the responsibility of the Directorate-General for Environment (DG ENV) within the European Commission, under Commissioner Jessika Roswall. In the Council of the EU, the relevant preparatory body is the Environment Council configuration (ENV).
Stakeholder reactions
Substantial stakeholder engagement has preceded the proposal. A total of 92 meetings have been held between stakeholders and EU policymakers: 60 with Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), 17 with Commissioners, and 15 with European Commission staff. These involved 55 distinct organisations. The most active entities in these meetings include the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC), France Chimie, the European Chemical Regions Network (ECRN), BASF SE, and Syensqo SA.
Stakeholder positions, as derived from meeting topics, reveal clear areas of advocacy. On the theme of ‘Overall simplification of regulation in the EU’, several organisations expressed support. The European Chemical Regions Network ECRN explicitly highlighted simplification as a key policy area for supporting the chemical sector. LG Chem raised ‘regulatory burden’ as a key concern. Bayer AG subtly favored simplification by criticizing hazard-based rules for creating an uneven playing field. CEFIC strongly supports this objective, explicitly advocating for simplification of REACH regulations.
Regarding ‘Chemicals regulation’ more specifically, the Downstream Users of Chemicals Co-ordination Group (DUCC) subtly favors competitiveness, raising challenges with classification and data requirements under current rules. CEFIC supports this direction, having presented a 10-point action plan for REACH simplification. Bayer AG strongly supports competitiveness, explicitly criticizing hazard-based regulations for creating an ‘uneven playing field’.
On the topic of ‘Energy (green transition)’, LG Chem indirectly favors industry competitiveness by raising concerns about high electricity and gas costs as a challenge. The Verband der Chemischen Industrie e.V. (VCI) also engaged on this topic, though a specific directional score from the provided data excerpt is not detailed.