Steel CEOs demand attention to EU imports situation
Steel CEOs demand attention to EU imports situation
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In an open letter to European heads of state, 58 senior steel industry executives in Europe who combined represent nearly 100% of EU steel production, have sent a message stating, “Make the right choices to ensure that our sector and its value chains flourish, investment continues, and the jobs of the men and women who work in our sector are sustained.”
The letter has been issued ahead of a European Council summit on 20-21 October 2016, at which all EU members’ heads of state or government will be present. The steelmakers say the call for attention was necessary in “a year that has seen the European steel industry under continued pressure.”
Among the issues facing EU leaders will be the modernisation of Europe’s Trade Defence Instruments, which the European steel industry says it has consistently pushed for.
The open letter calls on EU policy makers to develop more effective, faster measures to re-establish fair trade and also to build an EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) that works for those who are part of it while also achieving the ETS’ objectives of reducing the EU’s greenhouse-gas emissions.
The open letter from the 58 CEOs of the European steel industry to heads of state and government, which also can be found online here, reads as follows:
“We, the undersigned CEOs of the EU steel industry, are writing to you ahead of the European Council meeting on 20-21 October.
During this meeting, you will be taking decisions that could help preserve an innovative, sustainable, and globally competitive steel industry in Europe. Making the right choices should ensure that our sector and its value chains flourish, investment continues, and the jobs of the men and women who work in our sector are sustained.
We ask for your support on a number of issues that could make or break our industry:
Market Economy Status of China: Alignment with the US
A revised EU anti-dumping regulation which includes the EU’s five market economy criteria, with the burden of proof in dumping cases staying with exporters to the EU. We believe the EU’s anti-dumping methodology should be closely aligned with the non-standard methodology applied by the U.S.
Trade Defence: More effective, faster measures to re-establish fair trade
EU Trade Defence Instruments are very slow to deploy compared to our trade partners’. In addition, the effectiveness of the EU anti-dumping instrument is uncertain, producing measures [that] are significantly below the calculated size of the dumping, often less than a tenth of U.S. measures.
The EU is the only major region to systematically apply the Lesser Duty Rule (LDR). Under certain conditions it must be possible to lift the LDR. These conditions must be achievable and workable, accompanied by a duty calculation based on improved injury margins.
Emissions Trading: No cost burden beyond economic and technological feasibility
The EU Emissions Trading System is the largest and most ambitious carbon market in the world. The European steel industry is committed to CO2 reductions and is working hard to develop low carbon technologies.
However, we need a reformed EU ETS that is fair and achievable. At present, the proposed EU ETS beyond 2020 creates costs for European steelmakers that are not borne by our global competitors. This risks jobs and investment in European steel. We need an EU ETS that changes how steel is made, not where it is made.
We trust that you can make progress on the above issues so that steel will be able to contribute to the transition to a competitive, low-carbon European economy.”
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Source: Recycling Today
Steel CEOs demand attention to EU imports situation
<![CDATA[In an open letter to European heads of state, 58 senior steel industry executives in Europe who combined represent nearly 100% of EU steel production, have sent a message stating, “Make the right choices to ensure that our sector and its value chains flourish, investment continues, and the jobs of the men and women who work in our sector are sustained.” The letter has been issued ahead of a European Council summit on 20-21 October 2016, at which all EU members’ heads of state or government will be present. The steelmakers say the call for attention was necessary in “a year that has seen the European steel industry under continued pressure.” Among the issues facing EU leaders will be the modernisation of Europe’s Trade Defence Instruments, which the European steel industry says it has consistently pushed for. The open letter calls on EU policy makers to develop more effective, faster measures to re-establish fair trade and also to build an EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) that works for those who are part of it while also achieving the ETS’ objectives of reducing the EU’s greenhouse-gas emissions. The open letter from the 58 CEOs of the European…