The German Steel Federation (Wirtschaftsvereinigung Stahl) has called on the European Commission to oppose the proposed merger between mining giants BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP) and Rio Tinto PLC (RTP).
In a statement on the issue, German Steel Federation president Dieter Ameling said, "This possible merger between the number two and three in the world's iron ore business would increase the pressure on iron ore prices." He added that the merger in question would limit access to raw material for the steel industry, and that this would be neither in the steel industry's interest nor in that of its customers.
The German Steel Federation's opposition is in parallel with the concerns already expressed by the Japanese and Chinese steel associations (JISF and CISA respectively), in addition to those aired by the International Iron and Steel Institute (IISI) which represents more than 180 steel producers worldwide, including ArcelorMittal, Nippon Steel Corp., POSCO and ThyssenKrupp.