We are delighted to invite you to an in-person event which will be held on Tuesday, 30th of June 2026.
The event will consist of an afternoon of discussion on the Circular Economy Act as Europe’s new competitiveness strategy, and its implications for plastics. This event will also be a timely opportunity to discuss the future configuration of both secondary and primary raw materials markets in Europe.
Speakers and further details will be announced in the coming days, however, we are publishing this event now to ensure you save the date.
This event is public and will be held onsite.
Due to a limited number of seats, please await final confirmation from us after registration.
This event is organised in collaboration with
About the debate
As the EU seeks to reconcile climate neutrality, economic security and industrial competitiveness, the forthcoming Circular Economy Act is fostering debate over whether the new legislative proposal constitutes a new competitiveness and economic security policy. Against the backdrop of the Letta and Draghi reports, experts already assume that the upcoming legislation is simultaneously evolving into a resource-security initiative, an industrial strategy and a competitiveness agenda. At its core, however, the initiative seeks to establish a genuine EU-wide market for recycled and reused resources while reducing dependence on imported raw materials.
The debate is becoming increasingly complex as existing and forthcoming EU measures – such as the Critical Raw Material Act, the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) or the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) – are expected to reshape the conditions under which the European industry operates. At the same time, the emerging tension between industrial sovereignty and the principles of free trade – historically one of the foundational pillars of the European policies – illustrates the global challenges underpinning the EU’s new approach to resource efficiency and economic security.
Regarding the future configuration of the secondary raw materials market in Europe, some observers argue that valuable recycled resources – including plastics or aluminium scrap – should remain within the EU in order to strengthen domestic supply chains and reduce dependence on imported resources. From this perspective, recycled materials are increasingly viewed as strategic industrial assets linked to competitiveness, resilience and economic security.
This paradigm shift is particularly relevant for the plastics sector, which occupies a unique position at the intersection of industrial competitiveness, climate policy and resource efficiency. Whilst remaining tied to fossil-based feedstocks and processes, plastics production contributes significantly to critical applications and to emissions reductions across downstream sectors such as clean technology and both renewable energy production and distribution. The transition towards a circular plastics economy has therefore become not merely a question of waste management, but one of industrial transformation and systemic economic reorganisation. In this context, Europe still maintains the largest share of circular plastics (15.8%) in relation to its total production mix. However, its ongoing leadership has been driven primarily by a sharp decline in fossil-based plastics production, which fell by 8.3% to 43.3 Mt between 2022 and 2024.
Against this backdrop, the concept of circularity itself warrants deeper reflection. Although the circular economy model is widely supported in principle, significant political, economic and regulatory questions remain. The governance of secondary raw materials within the European market and the possibility that the EU is progressively moving towards a “post-globalisation” economic framework, centred on strategic autonomy and resource security, are closely linked to the EU’s capacity to foster economic resilience, harmonise regulations and practices across member states, and, ultimately, succeed in supporting an effective industrial transformation.
This is a public event, hence the Chatham House Rule will not apply.
The event will start at 17.00, while the onsite welcoming at the premises of AT60 will begin at 16.30. The discussion will last around an hour and a half.
Due to a limited number of seats, please await final confirmation from us after registration
The audience will be able to ask questions both in person and through sli.do #PlasticsEU
We look forward to hosting you on the 30th of June 2026.
