As every year, the publication of the EUROFER Annual Report is an opportunity to recap the policy work conducted by the association throughout 2022, as well as to inspect the forthcoming priority work areas EUROFER will be facing in the next months.They will be crucial to ensure that the future of green steel is and will be in Europe, which is the essential condition for the EU to achieve global leadership in net zero and secure its strategic autonomy.
EU legislation such as the Gas & Hydrogen Package, the revision of the Electricity Market Design directive, the Hydrogen Bank and the Renewable Energy directive, is fundamental to set the right conditions for a truly EU energy market system that delivers. Maximum priority must be given as well to European projects for hydrogen infrastructure, whose development is lagging behind.
Similarly, ensuring access to critical materials for the green transition such as ferrous scrap and nickel is vital, even more so in a world where over 40 countries are already applying restrictions to exports. The Critical Raw Materials Act and the Waste Shipment regulation should take this
situation fully into account.
Facilitating investment in clean technologies, creating lead markets for green steel and promoting upskilling and adequate training opportunities for young steelmakers is also indispensable.
Be assured that, also this year, we will do our best to turn these challenges into opportunities for both the European steel industry and the EU. A strong and sustainable steel sector is the backbone of a healthy EU economy and its leadership in clean tech.
We trust that the reading of the EUROFER Annual Report 2023 will serve as a valuable resource for all those who are interested in the future of our industry and the role that it plays in the European economy.
The full report is available below.
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Brussels, 22 March 2024 – The future of a strong and resilient EU can only be forged with steel made in Europe. Europe-made low-carbon steel has a strategic role as it enables a net-zero economy, but today it faces strong headwinds from high energy prices, unfair competition, global overcapacity and growing unilateral carbon costs. The year 2023 has recorded the lowest European crude steel production levels ever, with a number of idled plants and dire impact on workers. Ensuring the enabling conditions for the short-term viability and the decarbonisation of the steel sector urgently needs to be at the top of the EU agenda. This is the message delivered by the European Steel Association together with a number of high-level representatives of the sector on the occasion of the Clean Transition Dialogue on Steel in the presence of the Executive Vice Presidents of the European Commission, Maroš Šefčovič and Margrethe Vestager.
Uses, limits, and realistic potentials of demand-side response from the European steel industry along with a broad set of framework recommendations for an EU policy
Antwerp, 20 February 2024 – Today 73 industry leaders spanning almost 20 industrial sectors presented ‘The Antwerp Declaration for a European Industrial Deal’ to Belgian Prime Minister, Alexander De Croo and Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen. The declaration underlines the commitment of industry to Europe and its transformation and outlines urgent industry needs to make Europe competitive, resilient, and sustainable in the face of dire economic conditions.