At the 3rd session of "New Horizons in Global Steel Markets" 13th Annual Conference organized by SteelOrbis in Istanbul on November 8, Mehmet Zeren, general secretary of the Turkish Steel Pipe Manufacturers Association (CEBID), Gökhan Demiruz, chairman of Turkey's Association of Flat Steel Importers and Manufacturers (YISAD), and Muammer Bilgiç, managing director of Bilecik Demir Çelik, Oyak Mining Metallurgy marketing director Fatih Çıtak and Borçelik assistant general manager Güvenç Temizel discussed the rising global protectionist measures.
Güvenç Temizel said that the US and the EU are the biggest consumers and so measures in these regions are the most critical ones. He added that some countries are not able to export to these regions anymore and especially the Section 232 measures have changed the global steel trade flows, raising concerns among market players about trade diversions. He said that, accordingly, the EU started a safeguard duty and Canada imposed 25 percent duty on US imports before launching a safeguard investigation on steel imports.
Fatih Çıtak stated that the measures should be examined in two different categories; the first category consists of the essential measures to prevent unfair trade, while the second category is the measures such as Section 232 which are not based on any proper analysis, and are only supported by arguments such as national security.
Commenting on the Section 232 measures, Mehmet Zeren pointed out that these measures are also harming steel-using industries in the US, causing an increase in their costs and disrupting their competitiveness. He added that the EU import quotas are not posing any problems for pipe producers for the time being, though the quotas for pipe imports are expected to be used up before February.
Muammer Bilgiç indicated that Turkish mills are still concluding sales to alternative markets, despite the protectionist measures, with Turkish steel exports reaching record levels in September. However, he noted that, apart from export volumes, profitability should be important as well.