"There is a point at which we consider we should raise our voice to be heard," reads a letter that EUROMETAL, the association of European steel distributors, has sent today, June 19, to EU Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan asking that, not only the category of steel producers but also that of end-users be protected when defining trade policies in the EU.
A few days after the approval by the EU member states of the latest changes to the steel safeguard measures, Daniel Guinabert and Fernando Espada, respectively general manager and president of EUROMETAL, have complained in the letter about the EU's lack of attention towards steel users and steel consuming industries, warning, "There will be no market for steel production if there is not a market of consumers".
EUROMETAL said it believes that protecting steel producers, "even if needed in many respects, is not the only way to defend the interests of all Europeans. Only with a strong sector of steel end-users and consumers can we consolidate the industry. We need to look with hope to the future," the association concluded.