North East MEP Fiona Hall and Cllr Tony Richmond Address the European Chemical Regions Network (ECRN)

12.00.00am GMT Fri 27th Feb 2009

Fiona Hall MEP delivered a keynote speech during a Parliamentary Evening, organised by the European Chemical Regions Network (ECRN) in Brussels. Fiona explained the importance of having a vibrant chemical industry in Europe, one that controls emissions via the Emissions Trading Scheme and the development of Carbon Capture and Storage technology, highlighting the importance of the Energy Package for the process industry and its relevance to its activities. Councillor Tony Richmond of Darlington Borough Council explained the hidden opportunities lying behind the current financial crisis for the chemical sector, explaining that Europe was in a good position to remain the world leader in this field.

North East England is an active member of the European Chemical Regions Network given the importance of the process industry to the region's economy. The ECRN organised an EU Parliamentary Evening this week to raise the profile of the network and the European process industry as a whole to MEPs. Prominent MEPs were invited and attended the event, which showcased the importance of maintaining an economically competitive chemical industry in Europe to participants and included keynote speeches from two important representatives of the region: Fiona Hall MEP and Councillor Tony Richmond.

Both representatives delivered inspiring speeches that demonstrated how active regions (in particular the North East) are in the field of chemical industry and how crucial it is to maintain good relations between Brussels-based decision makers and local and regional partners throughout Europe.

The ECRN brings together several regions in the EU having where the chemical industry represents an important part of the local economy. The Network works closely with stakeholder groups close to the Commission and therefore directly influences chemical industry-policy at a high level.

For more information on ECRN and its activities, please visit the Network's website here: www.ecrn.net