EU ‘in process’ of withdrawing from the IRSG

London – There is uncertainty over the future funding of the International Rubber Study Group (IRSG) following moves initiated by the European Commission to withdraw from the organisation.

At Rubbercon 2026, held 28-29 April in Paris, Tyres Europe secretary general Adam McCarthy reported that EU member states had recently granted the EC permission to begin the withdrawal process.

The move would appear to represent a major blow to the IRSG, particularly as Europe is understood to be the largest financial contributor to the Singapore-headquartered organisation.

“There are, perhaps, question marks around – certainly from our side – the future for the IRSG,” said McCarthy – citing the development as underlining the need for a ‘rubber strategy for Europe’. 

ERJ has requested comment from the IRSG about this reported development.

Established in 1944, the IRSG is an inter-governmental organisation, with a remit to improve transparency and promote cooperation across the global rubber industry.

Member-governments are currently listed as: Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, European Union, India, Nigeria, Russia, Singapore and Sri Lanka.

Activities include the production of statistics on natural and synthetic rubber markets, as well as organising industry meetings, working groups, conferences.

The organisation has been headquartered in Singapore since 2008, having previously been based in London.

Back in 2011, the US department of state decided to cease funding the country’s participation in the IRSG, citing concerns over the relevance of data produced by the organisation.

As ERJ reported at the time, the US had contributed up to around $110,000 in annual fees and subscriptions to the IRSG.

The US rubber industry had opposed its government's decision to stop the funding.