Romania’s sole flats steel producer Liberty Galati came under focus this week during a Social Dialogue Commission meeting organized by the Galati Governorate and attended by local MPs. The meeting aimed to review the company’s situation and address ongoing challenges, but ended without any concrete results. Uncertainty remains as conflicting reports about a possible sale persist. Company officials have denied such claims, confirming that operations continue under a restructuring plan approved earlier this year. Despite this framework, Liberty Galati continues to struggle with high debt, limited liquidity, and irregular raw material supplies. Several international investors, including UMB Steel and Metinvest, have expressed interest, yet no agreement has been reached. The plant’s future, therefore, remains unclear, keeping Romania’s flat steel market under close observation.
Meanwhile, in the Romanian flats spot market, trading activity remained subdued this week. Despite some upward attempts influenced by the broader EU market’s rising trend, demand continues to be restrained as buyers remain cautious due to ongoing local liquidity challenges. As a result, limited business activity has led most traders to maintain stable offer levels compared to the previous week.
Current spot market quotations for hot rolled sheet (HRS) stand at €720-745/mt ex-warehouse, unchanged week on week. Similarly, cold rolled sheet (CRS) prices have remained steady at €835-865/mt ex-warehouse.
On the import side, no new purchases were reported from Romanian buyers this week, as most maintain sufficient stock levels. Import offers have therefore remained largely stable. According to reports, Ukrainian suppliers kept offers for HRS at €635-640/mt CPT and for CRS at €725-730/mt CPT, in line with last week’s levels. Likewise, Turkish suppliers maintained HRC offers at €475-490/mt CFR for November shipments to Romania, including freight costs estimated at €15-20/mt. It is important to note that these import prices are duty-free depending on the source, although Turkish material remains subject to EU antidumping duties.