EU’s Critical Chemicals Alliance Under Scrutiny for Industry Capture

The European Commission launched the Critical Chemicals Alliance (CCA) in January 2026, enlisting BASF, TotalEnergies and Avantium to label “critical” chemicals and sites for potential public investment of billions. A Corporate Europe Observatory–European Environmental Bureau report says the alliance is steered by industry rather than independent expertise.

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The CCA is framed as a response to perceived industrial vulnerabilities and coincides with EU moves to simplify chemical rules. DG GROW chairs the alliance; CEFIC holds the vice-chair and leads the trade working group, while NGOs report limited involvement.

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The report says European chemical firms earned “hundreds of billions of euros” in profit in the last decade, much of it returned to shareholders. It lists benzene, chlorine, ethylene, propylene and hydrofluoric acid (linked to PFAS) as “critical molecules” and notes that free carbon allowances under the EU Emissions Trading System provide substantial public support.

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The European Commission and CEFIC declined to comment when asked about the CEO-EEB findings; the Commission reaffirmed its formal chairmanship of the CCA but offered no further remarks.

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The CEO-EEB analysis calls the governance “structural corporate capture,” saying NGOs are marginalised and the CCA prioritises preserving industrial capacity, investment and deregulation. It warns that climate measures like carbon capture could extend fossil-fuel dependence and urges a shift to “social essentiality” criteria for public funding.

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Industry claims an “existential crisis” from high energy costs and Chinese competition, while the watchdog cites sustained profitability and shareholder payouts. The Commission and CEFIC’s silence leaves a gap in the public record on decision-making.

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• “Since the Alliance's launch, it has been clear that the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC) is in the driving seat of this initiative, with the Commission's industry department unconcerned by the risks of the process being unduly influenced by corporate interests,” — Corporate Europe Observatory & European Environmental Bureau report

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• “My impression, based on the way CEFIC presented things (...) the structure of the Steering Board and working groups, was that there must have been substantial preparatory work behind the scenes involving both DG GROW (Commission's industry department) and CEFIC,” — Tatiana Santos, Head of Chemicals Policy, European Environmental Bureau

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• “My perception was that it was CEFIC running the show.” — Tatiana Santos, Head of Chemicals Policy, European Environmental Bureau

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• “The concept of 'essentiality', the societal value of chemicals and making public funding conditional on driving detoxification are not even on the radar of the Commission, let alone running the CCA process,” — Corporate Europe Observatory & European Environmental Bureau report

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Green groups are urging the European Parliament and Council to revisit the simplified regulations and embed stronger conflict-of-interest safeguards in the CCA. Continued scrutiny could shape future public-fund allocation and EU chemical policy.

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