February 23, 2026 14:37

At the European Industry Summit in Antwerp ten days ago (see article), European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that a plan to support European industry—dubbed the Industrial Accelerator Act—would be presented by the end of the month.

A call for swift action has now come from the European chemical industry federation Cefic and its value-chain partners Fertilizers Europe and Plastics Europe. Europe and its industry cannot afford hesitation, the signatories argue. Investments are already shifting elsewhere, while site closures and job losses are accelerating across manufacturing sectors. “This is a decisive moment: Europe must move from diagnosis to delivery – not next year, not next week, but today. Industry urgently needs concrete, predictable actions.”

For the chemicals and plastics industry, Europe must act immediately to restore industrial competitiveness and safeguard high-quality jobs. “The window for action is narrowing – publishing the Industrial Accelerator Act is a necessary first step to show that Europe is serious about its industrial future. Every day counts.”

According to early indications, the Industrial Accelerator Act is intended to reverse the EU’s manufacturing decline, with the aim of raising industry’s share of GDP back to 20% by 2035. Planned measures include regulatory simplification, investment support and ‘made in Europe’ requirements in public procurement—particularly mandatory quotas for low-carbon materials in plastics, steel and aluminium. The initiative is expected to be particularly relevant for energy-intensive sectors—including chemicals and rubber and plastics—as well as net-zero technologies and automotive, which together account for around 15% of EU manufacturing output.

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