Catalonia assumes the presidency of the ECRN, the European Union’s leading chemical industry network

 
Catalonia, through ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment, the agency for business growth of the Ministry for Business and Labour, has assumed the presidency of the European Chemical Regions Network (ECRN), the EU’s leading network of regions where the chemical industry plays a key role in the economy and employment. The handover was formalized during the ECRN General Assembly held on Wednesday in Rotterdam, where the Secretary for Business and Competitiveness and CEO of ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment, Jaume Baró, was named new president.

Catalonia takes over from Lombardy and will now lead the network for the next two years (2026–2027). This transition comes on the heels of strengthened cooperation between the two regions at the end of 2025, when Lombardy and Catalonia reinforced their chemical industry alliance within the ECRN framework.

“The ECRN sees us as a leading region, with leadership capacity and extensive knowledge of the needs of the chemical industry”

Jaume Baró, CEO of Catalonia Trade & Investment

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During the event, Jaume Baró highlighted that “Catalonia is assuming the presidency of the ECRN with humility, but also with the ambition to accelerate and influence the design of policies supporting the competitiveness of Europe’s chemical sector, which is ultimately where the game is being played right now.” He added that “the European Commission’s recognition of the network of regions within the framework of the Critical Chemical Alliance is an opportunity we must make the most of.”

Referring to Catalonia’s new role chairing the ECRN, Baró pointed out that this is because “they see us as a leading region, and at the same time one with leadership capacity and extensive knowledge of the needs of the chemical industry.”

In this regard, the Secretary and CEO of ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment also highlighted some of the ECRN’s key areas of work, such as “strengthening the influence of regions in European policies, supporting the modernization, resilience, and decarbonization of the chemical industry in the territory, and promoting cooperation among us.”

Catalonia, therefore, further consolidates its position as a European benchmark in the chemical industry and innovation, becoming a key player in shaping the strategies that will define the sector’s future evolution.

During Wednesday’s meeting, the organization’s vice presidents were also appointed: Tobias Gotthardt (Bavaria’s regional minister), Stephan Satijn (Limburg’s regional minister), and Guido Guidesi (Lombardy’s regional minister), who has served as ECRN president until now.

The new board for the next two years is completed by Arne Weverling (South Holland’s regional minister), Vincenzo Colla (vice president of the Emilia-Romagna region), Astrid Volckaert (department coordinator at the Flemish Government), and Sylwia Sztark (head of unit at the Masovia Government).

About the European Chemical Regions Network

The ECRN, founded in 2004, with Catalonia among its founding regions, is an interregional cooperation network based in Brussels that works to strengthen the territorial dimension of EU chemical policies and to promote sustainable and modern value chains. Its main activities include the exchange of knowledge between regions, support for participation in European projects, awareness-raising on the role of regions in transforming Europe’s chemical sector, and drafting joint statements and shared policy positions for submission to EU institutions.

In addition, the network plays a key role in influencing European decarbonization policies. The ECRN is also part of the board of the Critical Chemicals Alliance, a new European Commission initiative aimed at ensuring the continuity, modernization, and resilience of Europe’s chemical sector, while addressing its main competitive, technological, and industrial challenges. ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment is also a member of this alliance.

Currently, the ECRN is made up of 17 regions from seven European countries: Catalonia and Valencia; the Italian regions of Emilia-Romagna, Liguria, Lombardy, Piedmont, and Abruzzo; the Dutch regions of Drenthe, Groningen, Limburg, South Holland, and Zeeland; the Belgian region of Flanders; the Polish region of Masovia; the German regions of Bavaria and Saxony-Anhalt; and the Ústí region in the Czech Republic.

The network also has four affiliated members: the Green Chemistry Cluster, the Italian Confederation of Small and Medium Industry (Confapi), the Polish Chamber of the Chemical Industry (PIPC), and the Hungarian Chemical Industry Association (MAVESZ).