European Union

Population: 513,215,000 (2018)
GDP: 18.756 Billion USD (2018)
Total Area: 4238693.6 sq km (2018 – 28 states)
Agriculture Land: 1179.03% (2016 – 28 states)
Forest: 946.57% (2016 – 28 Countries)


The European Union is a unique economic and political union between 28 EU countries that together cover much of the continent.The predecessor of the EU was created in the aftermath of the Second World War. The first steps were to foster economic cooperation: the idea being that countries trade with one another become economically interdependent and so more likely to avoid conflict. The European Economic Community (EEC) was created initially in 1958 for increasing economic cooperation between six countries: Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Since then, 22 other members joined to create a single market and continues to develop towards its full potential. More than 340 million EU citizens in 19 countries now use the euro...

Natural Rubber

The European Tyre Manufacturers are the biggest consumer of natural rubber purchased mainly from Africa, South East Asia and China. The EU programme supports alternative plant species other than Hevea brasiliensis such as Guayule and Russian dandelion. Imports area mainly from Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Côte d'Ivoire and Cameroon.

The EU consumed around 1.23 million tonnes of natural rubber in 2017. The EU listed natural rubber as a critical raw material (September 2017) to help ensure the secure, sustainable and affordable supply for the EU manufacturing industry.

Synthetic Rubber

The EU produced around 16% of the global synthetic rubber and consumed around 2.62 million tonnes in 2017. Currently there are in total 13 synthetic rubber producing companies in the Europe with capacity totalled to 2.8 million tons. Automotive and tyre industry is the major consumer of synthetic rubber.

Government & Other Agencies

European Commission
Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs
1049 Bruxelles/Brussel
Belgium
Phone: +32 2 299 11 11 (Commission switchboard)
E-mail: grow-general-information@ec.europa.eu
Website: ec.europa.eu
European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturing Association (ETRMA)
Avenue des Artes 2, box 12
B-1210 Brussels
Phone: +32 2 218 4940
E-mail: info@etrma.org
Website: www.etrma.org
WdK
Wirtschaftsverband der deutschen Kautschukindustrie e.V.
Zeppelinallee 69
D-60487 Frankfurt, Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 69 79 36 0
Fax: +49 (0) 69 79 36 140
E-mail: m.berthel@wdk.de
Website: www.wdk.de
Consorcio Nacional de Industriales del Caucho
C / Sirio, 18, 28007 Madrid
Spain
Phone: +91 445 84 12
E-mail: info@consorciocaucho.es
Website: consorciocaucho.es
Federazione Gomma Plastica- Assogomma
Via San Vittore, 36
20123 Milano , Italy
Phone: +39 02 43928230
Fax: +39 02 435432
E-mail: info@federazionegommaplastica.it

SNCP - French Rubber Manufacturers' Association
60 rue Auber
94408 Vitry-sur-Seine Cedex
France
Phone: +33 (0) 1 49605757
Fax: +33 (0) 1 45210350
E-mail: info@lecaoutchouc.com
Website: www.lecaoutchouc.com


Rubber Manufacturers Association of Finland
P.O. Box 4, FI-00131 Helsinki
Visiting Address:
Etelaranta 10, Helsinki
Finland
Phone: +358 9 172 841
Fax: +358 9 630 225
E-mail: sami.nikander@kemianteollisuus.fi
Website: www.kumiteollisuus.fi
Press Releases
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EU to revisit inclusion of rubber in deforestation law
Amiens, France - EU environment ministers will reconsider a European Commission (EC) decision not to include natural rubber (NR) within the scope of upcoming anti-deforestation regulations.NR was excluded from the draft regulation, issued last November, to prevent products which are deemed to be driving deforestation from reaching EU markets.Listed commodities included products such as palm oil and soy but not NR, as the EC’s research showed the material accounted for...
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EU proposes law preventing import of goods linked to deforestation
The European Commission proposed a law on Wednesday aimed at preventing the import of commodities linked to deforestation by requiring companies to prove their global supply chains are not contributing to the destruction of forests.Failure to comply could result in fines of up to 4% of a company's turnover in an EU country.The law proposed by the European Union's executive body sets mandatory due diligence rules for importers into the...
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COVID-19: Automotive sector calls for vehicle renewal incentives to kickstart economic recovery
Brussels, 5 May 2020 – COVID-19 is having a major impact on the economy, with retail and manufacturing activity crippled without precedence and concerns mounting on consumer sentiment. The European automotive sector, which has been hit particularly badly, proposes a plan comprised of 25 key actions to ensure a strong restart of the sector and the economy at large. Europe’s four auto sector associations publish 25-point action plan for successful...