In an open letter to Donald Tusk, prime minister of Poland, local steel suppliers and service centers, Ferrum, Alchemia, Stalprofil, Izostal, Proma and the Metallurgical Chamber of Commerce and Industry, have called for the introduction of stricter public procurement regulations in order to support domestic and European industry participants and to control the rise of cheap imports from non-EU countries.
According to the letter, the Polish and European steel industries are experiencing one of the greatest crises in decades, mainly due to geopolitical and global economic changes. Affected by this crisis, Polish companies experience huge problems, often resulting in the need to limit or even close production capacities, and thus reduce employment.
The letter said that state-owned enterprises and projects financed with public funds should purchase materials from domestic and European suppliers. Noting that steel products needed for critical infrastructure projects such as gas pipelines are often sourced from China, India or Turkey at the lowest prices, jeopardizing the integrity of the infrastructure, the letter warned that low-cost imports may not meet the stringent quality and safety standards required for gas and power networks.