The European Commission has officially launched the Critical Chemicals Alliance, a vital step in securing Europe’s industrial future and ensuring the long-term sustainability of its chemical sector. industriAll Europe has applied to be part of this transformative process, to ensure that worker's voices are heard and represented.

IndustriAll Europe, represented by our president Michael Vassiliadis recently took part in two high-level Strategic Dialogues on the Future of the Chemical Industry in March and May 2025. The meetings were chaired by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Vice-President Stéphane Séjourné, and Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall and highlighted the urgent need for a strong, proactive sector-based industrial policy, and a strategic plan for Europe’s chemical industry. This something that industriAll Europe has long been calling for. 

The creation of the Critical Chemicals Alliance follows the publication of the Chemical Industry Action Plan on 8 July 2025, which sets out several crucial objectives for the future of Europe’s chemical sector:

  • Defining criteria for identifying the critical chemical productions and molecules essential for Europe’s economy.
  • Mapping critical molecules to enhance trade monitoring and establish early-warning systems through the EU Customs Surveillance System.
  • Coordinating investments by aligning EU and national funding mechanisms to support strategic projects across Member States
In response to this, industriAll Europe has applied to be part of the Critical Chemicals Alliance, aligning our strategy with the Position Paper titled "A Plan to Save the Workers of the Chemical Industry," which outlines ten strategic priorities aimed at protecting both workers and the sector. 
industriAll Europe’s key priorities within the Alliance include:

  • Setting strong social criteria in the definition of critical sites, molecules, and projects. This includes ensuring that investments funded by public money are tied to social conditionalities, such as the protection of good-quality jobs, collective bargaining rights, and strong health and safety provisions.
  • Ensuring long-term commitments to maintaining production and investment at sites, avoiding decisions driven by short-term financial interests that could result in early closures or asset sell-offs that leave workers behind.
  • Guaranteeing the right to training for all workers, enabling them to adapt to new technologies and processes. This is vital to support a fair and sustainable industrial transition, with a focus on upskilling and reskilling.

Judith Kirton Darling, General Secretary of industriAll Europe, highlighted the importance of including social conditionalities to the Alliance’s work: “All chemical sites are critical. Workers in this sector contribute to Europe’s industrial backbone, and millions of families rely on these jobs for their livelihoods. We have the skills and the workforce ready for the transition, but without the right social safeguards, a truly Just Transition will not be possible. We look forward to working within the Critical Chemicals Alliance to ensure workers are heard and protected in this new phase of Europe’s industrial strategy.”

As the Critical Chemicals Alliance begins, industriAll Europe remains committed to ensuring that the chemical industry’s future is both economically viable and socially just, securing the livelihoods of workers across Europe while promoting a sustainable and resilient industrial transition.