The European Chemical Industry Committee said on Wednesday that production in the European chemical industry increased in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period of last year, but because of the cooling of the European economy as a whole, the growth of chemical production in the European Union weakened.
In the first quarter of this year, the output of the EU chemical industry increased 1.9% year-on-year, but it decreased by 1.4% compared to the last three months of 2017.
In the first quarter of this year, the output of basic inorganic chemicals in the EU dropped by 6% year-on-year, which dragged down the growth of overall chemical production, while the production of specialty chemicals increased by 1.7% year-on-year.
Cefic said in its monthly Chemicals Trends Report that in the first quarter of this year, EU cosmetics, paints and coatings, and fiber production increased by more than 2.5% year-on-year.