The European Commission’s proposal for a European Competitiveness Fund (ECF) and the new Framework Programme for Research and Innovation marks an important step towards strengthening Europe’s industrial base.
Cefic supports the focus on competitiveness and simplifying the investment journey for companies of all sizes, de-risking investments in strategic sectors and technologies, and ensuring continuity from research to scale-up and manufacturing. These aspects are critical to accelerate innovation and enable Europe’s industrial transformation. As one of Europe’s strategic sectors, the chemical industry will play a key enabling role in this process.
Effective implementation across Member States will be crucial. While national-level funding plays a key role, only EU-level coordination and fit-for-purpose State aid rules can deliver the scale and impact needed for transformative projects that individual Member States cannot achieve alone.
Through the ECF, Europe has a unique opportunity to send a clear signal to global investors: that it is committed to the future of its chemical industry and serious about supporting its transformation and long-term competitiveness. Cefic stands ready to work with EU institutions to shape a simpler, more focused, and industry-driven strategic funding framework.