Observing the trends in the outputs of the main steel producing European countries in the first quarter of 2010, the Italian steel producers assocation Federacciai has expressed concerns in relation to the situation of Italian steel companies and domestic steel production. In the quarter in question EU-27 steel production increased by an average of 37 percent year on year to 42.1 million tons: German output rose by 49 percent, Spain's output increased by 37 percent, with Austria and Holland seeing increases in excess of 40 percent.
In 2009 Italy's steel output grew at a rate five percent slower than the European average, and Federacciai underlined that Italy's recovery this year is also slower than that of other countries in Europe. The reasons for this, according to Federacciai, are poor supply of raw materials, higher costs of production, lack of public projects and unsuccessful European trade policies.
Globally, China and India play a key role, with their Q1 steel outputs up 24.5 percent and 13 percent respectively year on year. US steel output rose by 61.5 percent year on year, but in this case, as Federacciai said in its statement, that country's ‘buy American' program must be taken into account as it has helped significantly to strengthen the US steel sector.