European chemical regions discussed innovation opportunities and challenges at the 7th Congress of the European Chemical Regions in Liège – ECRN declaration on innovation adopted
Opening panel of the 7th ECRN CongressChemical stakeholders from all over Europe representing regional, national and European institutions, industry, science and associations got together in Liège on 6th November 2009 at the occasion of the 7th Congress of the European Chemical Regions to discuss in what ways the European regions are moving forward to implement innovative and sustainable ways to ensure competitiveness of the chemical sector.
This year’s Congress was organized by the ECRN and its member region Wallonia. After the opening of the Congress by the Minister of Economy and Vice-President of the Walloon Government, Jean-Claude Marcourt, and by ECRN President and Minister of Economy and Labour of Saxony-Anhalt, Dr. Reiner Haseloff, high-class speakers from chemical associations, European and regional institutions, industry and universities presented 
ECRN Director Michael Hack with Jean-Claude
Marcourt, Vice-Minister of the Walloon
Government and Walloon Minister of Economytheir expert views and experiences on innovative processes and solutions on the regional level and discussed them with the participants. ECRN Executive Board members also adopted a joint Congress Declaration with their positions on how to meet the current economic challenges which will be communicated to European policymakers and other chemical stakeholders.
In order to access the agenda of the day, the ECRN Congress Declaration and other information on the 7th ECRN Congress, please click here.
ECRN Parliamentary Evening on 18th November 2009 in Brussels
Opening of the MEP evening by Hans H. Stein, Director of the Representation
of North Rhine-Westphalia
In a period of important political and structural changes on the European arena after the Parliamential elections in June this year and shortly before the coming into power of the Lisbon Treaty, this year’s second Parliamentary Evening of the European Chemical Regions took place on 18th November 2009 in Brussels and was hosted by ECRN member region North Rhine-Westphalia.
After a welcome from Hans H. Stein, the Director of the Representation of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia to the EU and a short presentation of the ECRN’s aims and expectations towards 
MEP Herbert Reul, Chairman of
the ITRE Committee, spoke about the role
of the chemical industry in EuropeEuropean policymakers by ECRN Vice-President and Director of Industrial Policy Department in the Ministry for Economic Affairs of North Rhine-Westphalia, Karl-Uwe Bütof, political tendencies and approaches as well as role and practical needs concerning the chemical industry sector were presented by the Chairman of the ITRE Committee of the European Parliament Mr. Herbert Reul, and by Dr. Alfred Oberholz, formerly Evonik Industries. The presentations were well received by the audience as they showed a common understanding of how important the chemical sector is for Europe and its regions.
In constant dialogue: ECRN, the chemicalindustry and European policymakers
After the speeches, MEPs and participants from public and private organisations had the opportunity for intensive dialogue and exchange of opinion and experience on how European policymakers currently meet the regional needs and interests.
ECRN disseminates High Level Group results in its regions: Successful High Level Group Follow up Conference in Ústí nad Labem on 16th/17th April 2009 - Final Report available now
High Level Group Follow up Conference
in Ústí nad Labem
The High Level Group (HLG) Follow-up Conference “Delivering the HLG results in the regions”
which took place on 16th/17th April 2009 in Ústí nad Labem/ Czech Republic
was a big success for the ECRN and its member region Ústí, who had been organizers for this event
under the patronage of the European Commission and the Czech Presidency: Over 120 participants and
high-level speakers from all over Europe representing regional, national and European institutions,
industry, academia and associations had assembled in Ústí to discuss the HLG results and how these
results can now implemented.
Participants of the High Level
Group Follow up Conference
in Ústí nad Labem
Furthermore, the ECRN Executive Board formally adopted a joint congress
declaration with the title “A competitiveness agenda for a sustainable chemical industry in Europe -
Implementing the HLG recommendations with the chemical regions in Europe” which was distributed among
the participants and which will be also addressed to European policymakers.
This conference was a further step of the HLG implementation process in the European chemical regions. The final report is available now and can be accessed here. Further events will follow and will be published on the ECRN website.
Implementation of HLG results in the ECRN regions: Conference on "Chemical industry and competitiveness" in Düsseldorf on 29th April 2009
Lombardy region and North Rhine-Westphalia
exchanging experience and opinion.
The ECRN continues to implement actively the High Level Group results in its member regions: On 29th April 2009, the first implementation event after the Ústí conference took place in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia. Under the heading “Chemical industry and competitiveness – Recommendations of the High Level Group on the Chemical Industry” about 100 participants and speakers
exchanged views and developed concepts for effective implementation of the HLG recommendations in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Among the speakers were Christa Thoben, Minister of Economic Affairs and Energy of North Rhine-Westphalia, Gwenole Cozigou, Director of the
Conference participants in
Düsseldorf on 29th April 2009
Directorate Chemical Industry, DG Enterprise and Industry of the European Commission, Massimo Buscemi, ECRN Vice-President and Minister of Nets, Public Utilities and Sustainable Development of Lombardy and Dr Utz Tillmann, Managing Director of the VCI.
This conference was a further step of the HLG implementation process in the European chemical regions. Further events will follow and will be published on the ECRN website.
ECRN events in February 2009: PWG meeting in Milan, Parliamentary Evening in Brussels, General Assembly Meeting and cooperation on skills - initiative
MEP Evening in Scotland House
Brussels on 18th February 2009
February 2009 has seen several ECRN events: Starting with the first Permanent Working Group meeting of 2009 in member region Lombardia on 6th February, the ECRN then held a Parliamentary Evening of the European chemical regions in cooperation with its member region Scotland on 18th February in Brussels where over 60 participants attended.
This evening was preceded by a meeting on “Cooperation for skills development: the social partners, industry and the regions working together” on the afternoon of the 18th.
ECRN General Assembly 19th February 2009
On the 19th February, the ECRN General Assembly meeting took place, the most important internal event of the year. For more details on these meetings, please check under “News” or follow this link: http://www.ecrn.net/ecrnnews/
ECRN Online News
Events
- Executive Board and General Assembly Meeting, Brussels
- Parliamentary Evening and Permanent Working Group meeting, Brussels
- 7th Congress of the European Chemical Regions, Liège/Wallonia
- Seminar on Innovation in chemical regions and PWG meeting
- Seminar on skills and Permanent Working Group meeting, Brussels
- Conference on HLG results in the regions, Düsseldorf/ North Rhine-Westphalia
- Workshop Logistics, Ústí
- HLG Follow Up Conference in Ústí nad Labem/ Czech Republic
- ECRN General Assembly meeting in Brussels
- PWG Lombardia
- PWG meetings in Humber and in Brussels
- 6th ECRN congress in Brussels
- PWG meeting in Rhône-Alpes and seminar on Cluster Leadership
- Workshop Chemical Logistics for Central and Eastern Europe
- Working Group Meeting in Schleswig-Holstein
- Permanent Working Group Meeting in Brussels
- ECRN-Seminar "The future of bulk chemicals in Europe - challenge for chemical regions"
- 5th ECRN Congress in Ludwigshafen
- Creation of ECRN e.V.
- Network Association
