On 13 March 2020, the association for Europe’s plastics distributors, EPDA (Salisbury / UK; www.epda.com), had to postpone its annual meeting, which was initially scheduled for 14-16 May 2020 in Nice / France. The measure was due to France’s prime minister, Édouard Philippe, announcing a ban on public events with more than 100 people in order to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.

The association is currently deciding whether to reschedule the conference for a later date in 2020, although it said it remains to be seen if this will be feasible. The EPDA is also considering how to deal with payments for registration and arrangements for invited speakers, among other matters. President Lari Hahtonen said as the matters become resolved, the EPDA will announce relevant updates during this week.

The EPDA was established in 1973 with the aim to promote distribution of semi-finished plastic products such as plastic sheets, blocks, rods, profiles, tubes, pipes, valves and fittings. Its members include owners, executives and directors of European manufacturers and distributors in the semi-finished plastic goods sector.