Belgium, France and Luxembourg plan to act together against the Luxembourg-based global steel giant ArcelorMittal regarding plant closures across Europe, according to French press agency AFP.
The news reports stated that ministers from Belgium, France and Luxembourg will meet in mid-September in Paris to examine the possibility of passing legislation against the closure of industrial sites.
As SteelOrbis previously reported, in early June France's Industry Minister Arnaud Montebourg said that he would arrange meetings with his counterparts in Belgium, Spain, Germany and Luxembourg regarding ArcelorMittal's production cuts in Europe, which have been continuing since July 2011 as a response to worsening steel demand.
ArcelorMittal previously announced that it will also idle another two blast furnaces at Dunkirk, France and Gijon, Spain, in order to reline the furnaces over a 100-day period spanning the third quarter.