European steel industry urges emergency measures amid unfair trade practices

• Rising steel imports harming prices, decarb projects
  
  
• Eurofer, IndustriALL call for "EU Trade Initiative"
  
  

Japan Metal Daily: The European Iron and Steel Association (Eurofer) and IndustriALL, Europe's largest industrial union, have jointly appealed to the European Commission to implement emergency measures and convene a European Steel Summit. In a letter addressed to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Vice-President Stephane Sejourne, industry representatives highlighted the severe challenges facing the European steel sector.

The letter emphasised that the European steel industry has been forced to announce significant job cuts and suspend billions of euros worth of decarbonisation investments. This crisis is attributed to the surge in steel imports from countries such as China, South Asia, the Middle East, India, and Japan, which are allegedly harming global steel prices and undermining investments in green transformation.

The industry representatives argued that the current EU trade measures, although essential, are insufficient to address the scale of the problem. They urged the Commission to introduce short-term emergency measures and develop a comprehensive "EU Trade Initiative", which would include import tariffs compliant with WTO rules.

The letter serves as a stark warning about the urgent need for decisive action to protect the European steel industry and ensure a level playing field in the global market.

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