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Network of European Chemical Regions (ECRN)

Presentation for the 6th Plenary Meeting of the Social Dialogue of the European Chemical Industry,

Brussels, May 4th 2007

Thomas WobbenRepresentation of Saxony-Anhalt to the

European Union

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Starting Point: Chemical Industry in Europe

– (Petro-) Chemical Industry in Europe is clustered in a limited number of sites

– the chemical industry plays a dominant role in these regions– chemical industry, the chemical sites and the chemical regions are

faced with similar challenges:• to find efficient way to implement EU legislation• to support competitiveness of the chemical industry and

therefore• safeguarding the sustainable development of the chemical sites

in the long run– to exploit the new framework conditions in a most efficient way:

• change of business structures and culture• globalisation and EU enlargement

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Joint Interests of Chemical Regions:

• Chemical regions in Europe are affected by these EU regulations in a similar way

• The regional dimension of EU legislation is often forgotten or only scarcely taken into account

• Chemical sites/chemical regions must respond to the changing framework conditions in finding joint solutions on:– Training and Education,– Research and Development, – Infra Structure Development, etc.

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Steps to set up the network I

• 1st Congress of Chemical Regions on 21st of May 2003– 250 Participants– 2 Commissioners– 30 CEO of Chemical Companies and Site Initiatives

• 17.09.03 Joint Application of Lombardy, Saxony-Anhalt and Asturias in the call of DG Research on “Knowledge Region”17.09.

• 26.09.03: Joint Application of the network within INTERREG III C– 13 Regions as partners– 1,7 Mio. EURO for network budget– duration of the support 3 years

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Steps to set up the network II

• 04./05.02.04: 2nd Congress of Chemical Regions in Halle/Germany– 300 Participants– Commissioner Margot Wallström

• 13.05.04 1st ECRN Presidium meeting in Berlin

• 30.10.04 Position on Climate Change

• 1.12.04 2nd Presidium Meeting in Brussels and 1st

Parliamentary Evening

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Steps to set up the network III

• 6.10.05 3rd Congress of Chemical Regions (Milan) –Adoption of ECRN statutes

• 21./22.12.05 4th Presidium Meeting in Maastricht (NL)

• 22./23.05.06 5th Presidium Meeting in Düsseldorf (North Rhine Westphalia, Germany)

• 09./10.11.06 4th European Congress of Chemical Regions in Tarragona (Catalonia, Spain)

• 5.12.06 6th Meeting of the ECRN Presidium in Bitterfeld

• 21.03.07 6th Presidum Meeting in Antwerp (Flander,sBelgium)

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Joint INTERREG III C Application

• 13 Regions (Lead Partner: Saxony-Anhalt)

• Aim: Setting up of the network

• Way: Building regional and interregional partnerships

• Budget: 1,7 Mio. EURO (997.000 support by INTERREG III C)

• Duration: 3 years

• Application was accepted on the 20th of January 2004

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ECRN-Interreg IIIcconsortium

• Saxony-Anhalt, D • Lower Saxony, D• Northrhine

Westphalia, D• Catalonia, E• Asturias, E• Huleva, E• Idu-Viru, EST• Masowia, PL• Limburg, NL• Piemonte, I• Lombardia, I• Tees Valley, UK• Cheshire, UK

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Current ECRN Membership of (2/2007)

1. Sachsen-Anhalt (D)

2. Niedersachsen (D)

3. Nordrhein-Westfalen (D)

4. Cheshire (UK)

5. Tees Valley (UK)

6. Asturias (ESP)

7. Catalonia (ESP)

8. Ida Viru (EST)

9. Limburg (NDL)

10. Schleswig-Holstein (D)

11. Rheinland-Pfalz (D)

12. Flanders (B)

13. Usti Nad Labem (CZE)

14. Hessen (D)

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The European Network of Chemical Regions

The European Chemical Regions Network aims at:

• creating a regional awareness and profile of chemical regions in Europe;• supporting the exchange of experiences in regional and industrial policy

approaches between the regions;• benchmarking and developing new and innovative concepts of regional

development models to support the transition of Chemical sites and Chemical regions;

• to provide a platform for discussion with the European Union on all aspects affecting chemical regions;

• to foster the know-how transfer between chemical regions in the current EU and the accession states and to further develop the clusters in the current and future EU and

• to give impetus to the debate on the future reform of regional policy in light of the Lisbon strategy, and to be recognised as a stakeholder representing chemical regions at European level.

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Rationality of Lobby-Work

Draft legislation Decision of the Commission Council and EP readings

Effort

time

National Decision Making

85%

15%

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ECRN as a tool for joint articulation at European level: REACH Conference March 2005 with EUROPEAN VOICE

ECRN was part

of it

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Strategic Partnership for REACH Testing

SPORTSPORTThe Strategic Partnership on REACH TestingThe Strategic Partnership on REACH Testing

ECRN as a tool to participate:

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ECRN as a tool for exchange:

Speakers:

• Margot Wallström, Member of the European Commission• Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Böhmer, Prime Minister of the Federal State of Saxony-Anhalt• Dr. Horst Rehberger, Minister for Economy and Labour of Saxony-Anhalt• Reinhard Reibsch, General Secretary of the European Mine, Chemical and Energy

Workers’ Federation John Hontelez, Secretary General of the European EnvironmentalBureau

• Dr. Gerd Romanowski, Managing director and Head of the Department Science, technology• Miroslaw Lewinski, Deputy Director at the Ministry of Economy, Labour and Social Policy,

Department of Industrial Policy, Poland• Boguslaw Kowalski, Vice-Marshal Of the Mazowieckie Voivodeship,• Tony Richmond, Darlington Borough Council• Ingrid Häußler, Mayor of the City of Halle• Councillor John Fraser, Chair of Cheshire County Council's Economic Development Board,

Cheshire County• Petra Wernicke, Minister for Agriculture and Environment of Saxony-Anhalt• Dr. Andreas Ahrens, Ökopol Hamburg• Carol Watts, Director of the North West Chemical Initiative, Cheshire• Eduard Figuerola, Generalitat de Catalunya, General Directorate for Industry, Commerce

and Tourism• Dr.-Ing. Christoph Mühlhaus, DOW Olefinverbund GmbH• Maria Teresa Annovazzi, Assessore al Bilancio, Province of Novara and environment of

Verband der Chemischen Industrie, Frankfurt• Rudolf Bohn, Secretary of State, Ministry for Economy and Labour of Saxony-Anhalt• Prof. Dr. Jan-Hendrik Olbertz, Minister for Science of Saxony-Anhalt• Prof. J. M. Bainbridge OBE• Dr. Rinaldo Psaro, Research Manager, CNR National Research Council, Region Lombardia• Jan Dopper, Member of the Managing Board of DSM, Limburg• Jean Severijns, Province of Limburg• Magne Haugseng, Development Initiative for Chemical Industry Dependent Areas - DICIDA-

Network UK• Dr. Gerwald F. Grahe, President of Landesverband Nordost des Verbandes der Chemische

Industrie• Dr. Gunthard Bratzke, isw - Institute for Structural Policy and Economic Promotion gGmbH• Steve Duncan, Regional Development Agency ONE Northeast• Antonio Cáceres, Director of the Department for Local Development and Employment of the

County Council of Huelva, Spain• Andreas Hiltermann, InfraLeuna, Saxony-Anhalt• JUDr. Richard Hlavatý., Head of European Integration, Ministry for Industry and Trade of

Czech Republic

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Advance of Information and Representation of Interest

Joint positioning to following subjects so far:

• REACH

• Climate Change and Emission Trade

• European Technology Platform „Sustainable Chemistry“

• Insertion of European Structural Funds and Future of

Regional Policy

• Innovation- and Research policy

• Better Regulation

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ECRN Participation in the High Level Group for the Chemical

Industry

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ECRN participation in High Level Group for Chemical Industry

• Vice-President Verheugen confirmed on 26.02.07 formal participation of ECRN in High Level Group

• Role of chemical regions as test beds for pilot actions in the field of better regulation

• Dialogue with social partners and chemical industry

• Measures to improve competitiveness and innovation

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Political Ambitions of the ECRN for 2007

• Maintaining competitiveness of the European chemical industry

• Stability of Energy supply• Remediation of Climate Change• “Better regulation” of European

legislation• Finalisation of the REACH debate• Research & Innovation in Chemical

regions• Strengthening the interregional co-

operation

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Timetable for 2007

2007 PWG Executive Board

General Assembly

JanuaryFebruary BrusselsMarch BrusselsAprilMay BrusselsJuneJulyAugustSeptember BrusselsOctober Brussels Rhineland

PalatinateNovemberDecember Brussels

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Further Contacts

Thomas WobbenRepresentation of Saxony-Anhalt to the European UnionBoulevard Saint Michel 80B-1040 BrusselsTel.: 00.32.2.741 09 31Fax: 00.32.2.741 09 39

e-mail: thomaswobben@lv-bruessel.stk.lsa-net.de