European Union leaves International Rubber Study Group

Singapore – The European Union has withdrawn from the International Rubber Study Group, ending its membership in the intergovernmental organization as of June 30, 2026, according to the group’s current membership information and European Union records.

The departure follows an EU decision to leave the organization, which the European Council formally approved in October 2025. The EU said the IRSG had become an organization of limited and declining relevance as important member countries withdrew over the years.

The IRSG, established in 1944, provides a forum for governments to discuss natural and synthetic rubber production, consumption and trade. It also collects and distributes statistical information on the global rubber industry.

The EU’s decision came after an assessment that the organization’s membership no longer represented a broad enough share of the global rubber market. In its 2025 decision, the European Council said the IRSG’s then-current membership represented about 10% of global natural rubber production and 25% of consumption.

The EU also cited financial considerations. According to the council decision, the reduction in membership had depleted the IRSG’s cash reserves, while currency movements between the euro and Singapore dollar had increased the significance of the EU’s contribution to the organization’s budget. The EU concluded that remaining a member would be inefficient.

The European Parliament approved the withdrawal in October 2025 before the Council of the European Union formally adopted the decision. The Parliament’s resolution instructed its president to notify the Council, European Commission and IRSG of the decision.

The withdrawal is significant because the IRSG serves as an international forum for a commodity market that stretches from rubber-producing farms and processing plants to tire and automotive manufacturers. Its work includes statistics covering both natural and synthetic rubber, two materials that underpin a wide range of industrial and consumer products.

The change also leaves the IRSG with a smaller group of government members. The organization’s membership following the EU’s departure includes Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, India, Nigeria, Russia, Singapore and Sri Lanka.

For the rubber industry, the immediate question is whether the IRSG can maintain its role as a source of global market information and a forum for cooperation with a smaller membership base.

The EU’s withdrawal does not eliminate the organization or its statistical work. But the bloc’s decision underscores the challenge facing an international body whose membership has become less representative of the global rubber market.

As the rubber industry deals with changing demand, supply-chain risks and efforts to improve the sustainability and traceability of natural rubber, access to reliable market data remains important for producers, processors, traders and manufacturers.

The IRSG is headquartered in Singapore and continues to operate as an intergovernmental organization focused on rubber-market information and cooperation.