The sector continues to face fierce competition, particularly from China. Foreign trade, which has always been a driving force of the European economy, is not significantly improving.

Energy prices – approximately three times higher than the US – remain a core concern of the sector. In addition, the recipes that worked in the past seem to have reached their limits: Europe is suffering from being an open market and from its unmatched level of regulation, to the point that Europe has now entered a critical phase. The European chemical sector is a reflection of those patterns: exports to international markets fell by 2.3% in the first eight months of 2025, while imports surged by 2.6% over the same period.

Uncertainty continues to penalise investment, and forecasts for 2025-2026 are poor. The number of closures in the chemical sector is leading to deindustrialisation, to the benefit of countries offering a cost advantage.