Interview of Vassilis Gounaris, HACI President, to BUILD – Constructive News.

Interview of Vassilis Gounaris, HACI President, to BUILD – Constructive News.
Journalist: Matina Charkoftaki
On June 18th, 2020, HACI President, Vassilis Gounaris, gave an interview to BUILD – Constructive News, a B2B magazine specialized in Constructions, Architecture, Real Estate and major investment construction projects.
The interview is part of Gounaris presentation at the HACI General Assembly that took place on June 17th, 2020.
Below you can find the English translation of the article.
Here you can find the issue #276 of the magazine.
Chemical Industry: Need for annually investing €200-300 billion in Europe in climate neutrality.
Challenges faced by the domestic industry.
During the annual General Meeting, the President of the Hellenic Association of Chemical Industries, Vassilis Gounaris, referred to the challenges the chemical industry of the country faces at global level, as Europe is headed towards implementing the climate neutrality plan by 2050. The President also stressed that the industry enters a new phase that requires transformations within a short period and is dominated by digitization and circular economy.
At 0.5% of the Hellenic chemical industry.
Although the Hellenic chemical industry only represents 0.5% of the overall European chemical industry, it displays great momentum. The new approach towards chemicals on the way to climate neutrality raises a number of concerns, such as whether European businesses will remain competitive compared to those of third countries, which are not required to operate within the same framework, as well as the necessity for providing financial incentives for replacing chemical with other substances.
The need for investments.
The representative of the European Chemical Industry Council, George Kapantaidakis, talked about the need to adopt an integrated industrial policy, which will put emphasis on chemicals. He also stressed that investments amounting to €200-300 billion should annually be made in Europe so that net-zero greenhouse gas emissions can be achieved. The chemical industry can contribute to a great extent so that other industries, such as the manufacturing industry through the use of insulating materials, can achieve zero emissions.
Europe, the second largest producer of chemicals. Europe remains the second largest producer of chemical products worldwide, with a value amounting to €565 billion and a share of 17% out of a total of €3,347 billion. Asia holds the top position, displaying dynamic development, although it produces a lot more gases and has not adopted the strict framework of the green deal. More specifically, the sales of Chinese chemicals amount to €1,198 billion, while the USA holds the third position, with its industry value amounting to €530 billion.