According to the statement by Turkish Steel Exporters’ Association (CIB), in the January-May period of the current year Turkey’s steel exports decreased by 17.8 percent year on year due to the coronavirus pandemic, while they have started to increase in June this year.
CIB president Adnan Aslan noted that, in terms of the supply chain, a new period begins in the world and it is difficult to export to every region in the world in this period like before. Mr. Aslan stated that in this “new normal” the Turkish steel industry’s new export markets will be Southeast Asia, West Africa and Latin America, where steel demand is increasing.
Aslan said that Turkey’s steel exports to Europe totaled 2.3 million mt in the first five months of the year, falling by 1.2 million mt compared to 3.5 million mt in the same period of 2019, and he attributed this to the unfair decisions taken by Europe in order to protect its own market.
The CIB official also said, “We call on the European Union to comply with our Customs Union and European Coal and Steel Community free trade agreements,” while he said the CIB will continue its legal struggle against unfair practices.