Cefic – Chemical Trends Report, Jan 2026

The report analyzes the chemical industry trends and performance in the EU27 region for the year 2025 and early 2026.

Key findings include the EU27 chemical sector's competitiveness remaining below pre-crisis levels due to weak demand, global trade pressures, and uncompetitive energy prices. China holds a competitive advantage in commodity products and petrochemicals due to large-scale production and low costs. European gas and electricity prices are significantly higher than in the US, creating a competitive disadvantage. Capacity utilization in the EU27 chemical industry is at historical lows. EU27 chemical exports to the USA have declined due to tariffs, resulting in a drop in trade surplus. Despite challenges, the sector maintains a trade surplus in value terms due to specialty and consumer chemicals but faces a volume deficit. Business confidence showed slight improvement in late 2025 after a year of decline.