EU chemical industry faces fragile recovery
EU chemicals production in October expanded by 1.8 per cent compared to the year prior, according to the latest Cefic Chemicals Trends Report released today.
The October reading confirmed the recovery trend followed by the EU chemical sector that began in the second quarter of 2013. EU chemicals production during the first ten months of 2013 remained 6.9 per cent lower than the pre-crisis, full-year peak level reached in 2007.
The EU chemicals net trade surplus stood at €37.9 billion during September 2013 – a €863 million improvement on the same period in 2012. Chemical prices in the European Union for October 2013 were 3.0 per cent lower than in October 2012.
