The European Steel Association (EUROFER) has welcomed the European Commission's (EC) 2030 framework for climate and energy policies, stating that a reliable long-term policy framework is important for investment decisions in the industry. EUROFER also applauded the Commission's readiness to consider the consequences of the ongoing economic crisis as well as the effects of steeply rising energy prices on the global competitiveness of European industry.
However, EUROFER has criticized the EC's plans to introduce a 40 percent reduction target for greenhouse gas emissions for 2030 in the EU, with the aim of a reduction of 80-95 percent by 2050. EUROFER indicated that this would double the current target of 20 percent by 2020 under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).
EUROFER director general Gordon Moffat said that the European steel industry cannot meet this reduction target "because of a complete lack of economically viable technologies", while he recalled that the EC's own research center confirmed this in its recent study on CO2 emissions in the European steel industry.
As SteelOrbis previously reported, the EC's in-house science service Joint Research Centre published a report indicating that the EU steel industry cannot work under future European emissions targets.
"What we really need is a target and measures to decrease the gap of average energy prices between the EU and its main competitors," Moffat added. He went on to say that the European steel industry "needs full compensation for indirect costs caused by ever more ambitious emissions targets to stay globally competitive".
According to EUROFER, affordable energy is of utmost importance for European industry and therefore all available resources have to be made accessible.