Chemistry in Transformation: A European Moment

Abstract

Abstract Chemistry stands at a pivotal juncture, facing unprecedented expectations to decarbonize, enable circularity, and sustain essential sectors, while remaining globally competitive. Europe embodies these pressures acutely. Although the region excels in frontier research, structural disadvantages such as high energy and feedstock costs, fragmented regulation, slow permitting, and constrained capital limit its capacity to translate scientific leadership into industrial success. The energy crisis of 2022 exposed long‐standing vulnerabilities, triggering capacity closures in foundational value chains such as ammonia and olefins and accelerating the erosion of Europe`s market share. Yet chemistry`s transformation is driven not only by economic asymmetry, but by deeper shifts: the urgency of decarbonization, the need for molecular circularity, and the integration of digital technologies into discovery and manufacturing. Breakthroughs in electrification, advanced catalysts, CO 2 conversion, self‐driving laboratories, and AI‐enabled synthesis offer pathways to both competitiveness and sustainability, but their impact depends on coordinated infrastructure, stable policy, and risk‐tolerant finance. Crucially, this moment also demands responsibility and resilience: chemistry must be circular by design, transparent in its data, and robust enough to withstand shocks, diversify feedstocks, and scale technologies reliably. Europe`s leadership will hinge on embedding these principles into how chemistry is imagined, taught, and deployed.