Jean-Pierre Clamadieu was elected president of the European Chemistry Council CEFIC at the chemical trade body's annual meeting on Oct. 17 in Paris, France. He succeeds BASF chairman Kurt Bock, who served in the position for two years.

In his first address to the assembly, the Solvay chief executive said Europe's 29,000 chemical companies employing 1.2 million people must remain competitive, despite handicaps such as high energy costs and an inconsistency in or lack of EU energy and industrial policies.

As some segments of the industry in Europe are facing challenges in competition with emerging markets and in particular the US, Clamadieu said authorities at all European levels, including the Commission and the Parliament, must ensure that all policies and initiatives "take full account of the world's economic realities."