Brussels, 17 January 2023 – The revision of the Waste Shipment Regulation adopted by the European Parliament in today’s plenary vote is a welcome step towards a more sustainable approach in waste exports to third countries. Still, it remains urgent to close some critical loopholes to avoid circumvention of the new measures and ensure watertight environmental and social standards equivalent to those of the EU, urges the European Steel Association (EUROFER).
Brussels, 16 March 2023 – A successful EU industrial policy requires a value chain-based approach, with steel as an integral part of the Net-Zero Industry Act. To ensure that the EU remains competitive in the greatest transformation of the industry towards climate-neutrality, it is essential to adopt disruptive thinking and innovative measures to create a more attractive green investment environment whilst securing the EU’s strategic autonomy. The European Steel Association (EUROFER) details its comprehensive vision in a new policy paper covering all industrial policy fields relevant for a green, decarbonised and prospering European manufacturing industry, including energy and climate, environment and circularity, investment, trade, internal market and skills.
Brussels, 14 March 2023 – The revision of the Electricity Market Design (EMD) risks becoming another missed opportunity to secure cost-competitive fossil-free electricity and to introduce solutions providing swift relief to energy-intensive sectors exposed to global competition. It remains unclear how industrial energy consumers will be able to access the large quantities of renewable and low-carbon electricity needed for their decarbonisation in the coming years, says the European Steel Association following the publication of the European Commission’s reform proposal on the EMD.
Brussels, 09 February 2023 – Hydrogen is at the core of the green steel transition. Ensuring access to this scarce resource – with a share of a bare 2% in today’ EU energy mix – will be paramount in the upcoming years to enable carbon-neutral steelmaking in practice. The reports adopted today by the European Parliament’s Industry, Research and Energy Committee (ITRE) represent a significant step towards industrial decarbonisation, as they acknowledge the importance of prioritising hydrogen access for sectors that have the greatest potential for emissions reduction and the largest impact on climate mitigation, says the European Steel Association (EUROFER).
Brussels, 02 February 2023 – All downside factors that have materialised in the first half of last year have persisted, continuing to impact the European steel market. Apparent steel consumption is forecast to see a deeper-than-expected drop of -4.6% for 2022 (previously set at -3.5%). The outlook for 2023 also remains negative (-1.6%), paving the way for the fourth steel demand recession in five years. A modest recovery will be in sight in 2024 (+1.6%), though subject to high uncertainty. Despite a more general resilience of the EU economy, in the third quarter of 2022 apparent steel consumption reached its lowest level after the pandemic.