Europe top stories: weekly summary

LONDON (ICIS)–Here are some of the top stories from ICIS Europe for the week ended 23 November.

Spain’s chems await helping hand from new government – trade group
Apart from the suspension of a tax on electricity production that has helped lower the energy bill for industrial sectors, the Spanish chemical industry still awaits meaningful measures from the new government to help it thrive, according to the director general at the country’s trade group FEIQUE.

INEOS’ Grangemouth PP outage causes market jitters in UK
UK polypropylene (PP) buyers are being affected by a supply interruption at European chemical major INEOS’ Grangemouth facility, sources said.

UK petrochemical industry braces for various Brexit scenarios
More than two years after the Brexit vote and less than four months before the UK is set to leave the European Union, one word is continuously being used when referring to post-Brexit Britain – uncertainty.

Europe fatty alcohols tightness to persist into Q1 on production hiccups, logistics
Limited availability in the European fatty alcohols market is set to endure until the end of the first quarter of 2019 amid ongoing production issues, sources said.

EU October commercial vehicles registrations up 7% after September’s dip – ACEA
EU commercial vehicle registrations rose month on month in October, up 6.9%, according to the latest data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA).

Nigeria becomes Africa’s weakest PE, PP market on limited foreign currency
Multiple west African polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) markets are struggling with a lack of foreign currency, and Nigeria has turned out to be the most affected.

EU-UK ‘separate’ markets post-Brexit, ECHA membership, regulatory alignment to be decided
The chemicals industry’s demand for “frictionless trade” between the UK and the EU post-Brexit, as well as regulatory alignment, is still not guaranteed after a leaked statement showed the two parties have still to decide on those issues.

Microplastics more likely to affect terrestrial, freshwater environments than oceans – ECHA
Microplastics added to products are more likely to be released to, and accumulate in, terrestrial and freshwater environments rather than oceans, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) said.

Europe TiO2 ample supply, slower demand weigh on sentiment
The European titanium dioxide (TiO2) market’s sentiment may continue weakening in the first quarter if current ample supply and lower demand persist.

Eurozone manufacturing growth slumps to 30-month low
Growth in the eurozone’s manufacturing sectors hit a 30-month low in November, according to a flash purchasing managers’ index (PMI) from IHS Markit.

UK chemicals face up to 6.5% EU tariff under ‘no deal’ Brexit
UK imports and exports of petrochemicals to the EU27 and most other major trading partner countries will face up to 6.5% World Trade Organisation (WTO) tariffs in the event of a “no deal” Brexit, according to analysis provided by Europe’s trade group Cefic.