Germany decided on so-called "Notbetrieb" (emergency maintenance of minimal operations) for a chemical plant in the Leuna industrial park. Eighty million euros were allocated. State Energy and Climate Protection Minister Armin Willingmann (SPD) justified the public support for the chemical plant in the amount of 80 million euros with the following words:

"These 80 million euros are well-invested money for the protection of human life and health and the natural environment."

In all sources available to our editorial team, there is no information that the European Commission was notified of this state support from Germany. Therefore, our editorial team submitted an inquiry to the press spokesperson of the state Ministry of Energy and Climate Protection requesting a detailed explanation of the circumstances regarding possible notification by the European Commission. State aid is, as a matter of principle, prohibited within the European Union, since the EU considers it contrary to the principles of fair competition among companies from different member states.

The chemical plant, previously owned by the Belgian company Domo, operated on public funds from the end of 2025 to early April 2026. On March 31, 2026, it was announced that InfraLeuna (the operator of the chemical park) and Leuna-Harze (a neighboring resin manufacturer) had formed a company called Leuna-Polyamid GmbH, which took over Domo's real estate, installations, and operations in Leuna from April 1, 2026.

The Domo Chemicals group, headquartered in Ghent, Belgium, which specializes in the production of polymers, engineering plastics, and high-performance fibers, declared the insolvency of its German subsidiaries at the end of 2025. The largest of these is located in the Leuna industrial park in eastern Germany. This plant primarily produces caprolactam and polyamide 6, which are used in the automotive, electrical engineering, electronics, construction, and packaging industries.

Domo's German subsidiaries in Leuna (Domo Caproleuna GmbH with approximately 480 employees and Domo Chemicals GmbH with 35 employees) and in Premnitz in Brandenburg (70 employees) are an integral part of the supply chain in the region known as the Chemiedreieck — the chemical triangle of Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony, and Thuringia. The Leuna industrial park, a former combine from the GDR era, was transformed after reunification into a modern center with around 100 companies and more than 10,000 employees, operating on the principles of a circular economy.

The state of Saxony-Anhalt has invested in the Chemiedreieck for years — a region that, after German reunification, became one of the most important chemical centers in Central Europe. High energy prices after 2022, geopolitical tensions in the Middle East driving up oil and gas prices, and competition from Asia and the US have hit energy-intensive plants particularly hard. Similar problems affect other giants: BASF is reducing capacity, and Dow Chemical has announced the closure of installations in Schkopau and Böhlen by the end of 2027. Poland's Grupa Azoty shut down its production lines as early as March 2023, without receiving any state aid in such a difficult situation.

In March 2023, the Puławy plants shut down their caprolactam facility "until further notice" due to astronomical energy and gas costs. There was no temporary financing from the state budget or any other public entity. The Melamine III installation also came to a halt. Since then, caprolactam production in Puławy has not resumed, and according to the latest statements by Grupa Azoty's management, it is unlikely to return due to the ETS system and competition from Asia and the US.

Under EU law (Articles 107–109 TFEU), the 80 million euros from the state of Saxony-Anhalt constitutes state aid. For the Polish chemical industry, this is an example of aid that Grupa Azoty Puławy never received.

[The author, Aleksandra Fedorska, is a journalist for Tysol.pl and numerous Polish and German media outlets]

[Title, lead, "What You Need to Know" section, and some subheadings by the Editorial Team]