Coal as an alternative chemical – a significant contribution to fundamental new processes

On 2 December, the ECRN Permanent working group decided to promote a "European research initiative – coal as an alternative chemical raw material for basic chemicals and fine chemicals to supplement the development of energetic use".

During the next months, this proposal will be forwarded for discussions at different levels - regional, national and European - aiming to incorporate the theme into the next European framework programme "Horizon 2020“.

More information is available in English and in German.

ECRN is welcomes all comments and further ideas concerning this initiative (please contact the ECRN Secretariat: office@ecrn.net or +32-2-7410-949, Dr. Hanny Nover).

9^th Congress of the European Chemical Regions: Sustainable use of structural funds in chemical regions on 27th October 2011

The 9th Congress of the European Chemical Regions takes place on the 27th October 2011 in Halle/Saale (Germany), hosted by ECRN member region Saxony-Anhalt.

This year, the theme of this annual event is European regional policy and “Sustainable use of structural funds in chemical regions”. The Congress agenda features a range of interesting presentations, case examples and success stories from chemical regions, workshops on different ways to enhance the competitiveness of chemical regions. The event also offers the participants an excellent opportunity to meet and network with experts and specialists from regions, the EU, public sector, industry, and research – the participants represent a wide-ranging combination of different chemical stakeholders.

Discussions at the Congress focus particularly on the potential and opportunities for sustainable use of structural funds in the European chemical regions in the context of Europe 2020 Strategy. As in previous years, we look forward to sharing ideas and experiences in an inter-regional context.

For further information, please see the Congress website (in German and English). Congress Agenda and additional information is also available here.

See also the Congress Declaration that outlines the ECRN position on the role and importance of cohesion policy and structural funds in supporting development and growth of the European chemical regions.

Constructive Talks with Vice President Tajani

The outgoing ECRN President, Prime Minister Dr. Haseloff and the newly elected ECRN President, Prof. Birgitta Wolff as well as the ECRN Vice President Alberto Cavalli met with the Vice President of the European Commission in charge of Industry, Antonio Tajani to discuss the future strategic financing of the innovation and research policy of the European Union.

The ECRN representatives took the opportunity to hand over the ECRN Joint Position on the Green Paper consultation “Towards a Common Strategic Framework for EU Research and Innovation Funding” which was adopted by the ECRN Presidium earlier that day.

Vice President Tajani reiterated the important role of the ECRN for the European Commission as a regional stakeholder and he confirmed his interest in a close co-operation with the network. The ECRN was recently invited by the Directorate General for Industry to take part in an „Analysis of policies in chemical regions to support competitiveness in the chemical industry“ which will be carried out in the months to come.

“Prof. Dr. Birgitta Wolff elected as the new ECRN President”

Prof. Dr. Birgitta Wolff

On 19 May, the General Assembly of the European Chemical Regions Network (ECRN) elected Prof. Dr. Birgitta Wolff as its new President. Prof. Dr. Wolff is the new Minister for Science and Economic Affairs in the government of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. She succeeds Dr. Rainer Haseloff, who was elected as Prime Minister of Saxony-Anhalt in April 2011. As Minister for Business and Employment of Saxony-Anhalt, he became President of the ECRN in November 2006. During his term, the ECRN grew from a network of 14 chemical regions to 21 regions covering the most important chemical sites in Europe. A major success in his term was the recognition of the ECRN as the regional stakeholder in the High Level Group of the European Commission on the Competitiveness of Chemical Industry in Europe.

Prof. Wolff thanked her predecessor for his inspiration and strong support for chemical regions in Europe. She underlined that the European Union must remain an important industrial region and highlighted the role of the regions in shaping and implementing EU policies on the ground.

The General Assembly also elected Alberto Cavalli, the Undersecretary responsible for University and Research, the region of Lombardy and Petr Fiala, the Chairman of the Financial Committee , the region of Usti, as Treasurer of the network.

Furthermore, the ECRN General Assembly agreed on a joint position and the network's input into the European Commission's consultation on the Green Paper on the "Common Strategic Framework for EU Research and Innovation Funding", underlining the need to strengthen complementarities and synchronise regional funding activities with EU funding modalities.

Please read the full press release here.

Conference on the Implementation of HLG Recommendations on 10 February 2011

The European Commission will host a conference on the follow-up of the High Level Group on the competitiveness of the European chemicals industry in Brussels on 10 February 2011. In addition to presenting the current situation of the HLG implementation with concrete cases and laying out steps to be taken in the future, the event also marks the beginning of the International Year of Chemistry 2011.

The ECRN contributed to the HLG during the group’s working period in 2007-2009 and plays an active role in following up on the ongoing implementation of the HLG recommendations. The network was prominently featured in the Final Report of the HLG and the ECRN has supported and organized various conferences on HLG follow-up, including events in Ústi (CZ), Berlin (GER) and the 8^th ECRN Congress in Brussels.

At the upcoming conference, Alberto Cavalli (ITA) will represent ECRN at the event and give one of the opening speeches, alongside with representatives from the European Commission, Hungarian EU Presidency, Cefic, EMCEF, EEB, and EuCheMS. ECRN member regions are also represented in different working sessions throughout the day. Further information about the conference, as well as the agenda and a link to registration can be found from the Commission website.