João de Mello re-elected to the board of Cefic
Reappointment as a member of the board took place in Lisbon during Cefic’s general assembly, held as part of the Chemical Convention, the sector’s leading annual forum for discussion.
- Cefic represents companies accounting for around 14% of global chemical production and employs 1.2 million people in the European Union
- The European chemical industry is facing a challenging environment, shaped by high energy costs, non-EU competition and falling production
João de Mello, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of Bondalti and Chairman of the Executive Committee of Ercros, was re-elected this Thursday to a new two-year term on the board of Cefic, the European Chemical Industry Council. The re-election took place during the organisation’s general assembly, held as part of the Chemical Convention. This is the leading annual forum for discussion on the chemical industry and is being held in Portugal for the first time, bringing together the top executives of Europe’s largest chemical companies.
With this renewed vote of confidence, João de Mello remains the only Portuguese member of the governing bodies of Europe’s leading chemical industry association, having served on Cefic’s board since 2023.
In João de Mello’s words, “As a member of Cefic’s board, I intend to continue contributing to a more competitive and resilient European industry, at a delicate time marked by international conflicts and the rise of non-European markets with growing weight in the sector. Cefic will continue to provide all the support needed to drive the transformation of the European Union’s economy through innovative and sustainable solutions.”
According to Cefic’s latest data, the industry is under pressure, with production in the European Union down 2% between January and July 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier. The sector is facing weak demand and structural competitiveness pressures that continue to intensify globally. It is to discuss this new reality, marked by geopolitical fragmentation, energy challenges and shifts in trade dynamics, that the industry’s leading executives are gathered in Lisbon for the Chemical Convention.
In this demanding context, Cefic’s importance is greater than ever. Founded in 1972 and headquartered in Brussels, Cefic currently has around 650 members and associations representing about 14% of global chemical production and employing 1.2 million workers in the European Union. The chemical industry is the European Union’s highest value-added industrial sector, worth €335 billion, and the fourth-largest manufacturing industry. By ensuring supply across numerous highly interconnected value chains, the sector plays a structural role in the functioning of many other essential industries. The strength of this industrial base is therefore increasingly seen as a key pillar in safeguarding Europe’s economic sovereignty amid today’s intense global geoeconomic competition.
To address the sector’s challenges, Cefic has been an active partner of the European Union and its institutions, supporting the implementation of the Green Deal. In February 2024, the association signed the Antwerp Declaration for a European Industrial Deal, a document setting out a series of urgent needs in response to global economic and geopolitical challenges.