Speaking at 13rd Platts Steel Markets Europe conference held on June 19-20 in Barcelona, Francisco Perez Canado, Head of Unit Market Access of the European Commission, stated that the European Commission is seriously concerned about the US Department of Commerce’s Section 232 investigation into steel imports, adding that the investigation will not resolve the problems in the sector. Meanwhile, regarding speculation in the markets that Iran and Serbia are to be excluded from the EU’s antidumping (AD) duty investigation on hot rolled sheet imports, Canado stated that the final results should be awaited.
Speaking at the conference, India-headquartered steel giant Tata Steel's chief commercial officer Dr. Henrik Adam stated that, contrary to what is said in the US market, steel imports have fallen in the US, but ongoing measures such as the Section 232 investigation may lead to a greater supply-demand imbalance in the global steel industry. Mr. Adam added that Tata Steel will continue to work with the European Commission to avoid unfair steel trade, going on to say that they are not against imports but that they think every country must stay within the same rules when trading steel.
Meanwhile, in the questions and answers section, Ms. Simone Jordan, chairwoman of the International Steel Trade Association (ISTA), stated that Europe needs to find another solution instead of closing its doors to imports, adding that sanctions limiting imports have significantly restricted the resources of local steel service centers and distributors. In addition, in the same section, Jeroen Vermeij, director of market analysis and economic studies at EUROFER, stated that EUROFER is not against imports, but is seeking fair steel trade otherwise employees in the whole sector will suffer from unfair competition.