Assofermet, the association representing Italian companies active in the trading, distribution and processing of steel, scrap and nonferrous metals, took part in the demonstration organized by EUROMETAL in Brussels on September 7 to call on European institutions to take action to support industrial competitiveness and ensure more balanced competitive imports from third countries.
As reported by SteelOrbis, around 200 representatives of the European metal industry took part in the initiative, gathering outside the European Commission to draw attention to the growing competitive imbalance between European companies, which are subject to stringent environmental and regulatory requirements, and non-EU producers of steel-intensive goods, which can access the European market without being subject to equivalent constraints.
Assofermet endorsed EUROMETAL's call to extend protection across the value chain beyond primary steel production, highlighting the risks posed by a system in which restrictions on steel imports could ultimately shift competitive pressure onto the downstream stages of the production chain.
“This is an unprecedented initiative for the sector we represent. It was peaceful but, at the same time, determined, sending a strong and direct message aimed, looking ahead, at involving all stakeholders affected by and interested in European Union policies,” said Paolo Sangoi, president of Assofermet Acciai.
Protection of the entire value chain
The key element of Assofermet's position concerns extending trade defense measures to products further downstream from steel production. “Imposing duties and restrictions only on raw materials is a dangerous injustice,” Sangoi said.
Assofermet, therefore, argues that trade protection instruments should also be extended to intermediate and finished products and to steel-containing components, in order to prevent imported goods from benefiting from production and regulatory conditions that differ from those imposed on European companies.
According to the association, the risk is that greater protection for steel produced in Europe could end up penalizing precisely those companies that use steel as a raw material. If the cost and regulatory burdens associated with steel increase for European companies, while competing finished products from third countries are not subject to similar constraints, part of production could gradually move outside the European Union.
Transition costs and non-EU competition
In its statement, Assofermet also stressed that European companies are making significant investments and incurring substantial costs to comply with EU environmental standards, while competing in the domestic market with operators that are not subject to the same requirements.
According to the association, stronger trade defense cannot be considered separately from the needs of European manufacturing. “Strengthening trade defense instruments must therefore be accompanied by a comprehensive view of the production chain, from raw materials through to finished products, so that the EU's decisions can provide concrete support to companies and help keep manufacturing activities in Europe,” the statement said.
Assofermet's call thus forms part of the broader European debate over how to reconcile decarbonization, protection of the steel industry and the competitiveness of downstream sectors. EUROMETAL has stressed that the aim should not be to oppose European climate policies, but rather to ensure that the same principles are applied across the entire value chain.
