European Commission vice president Mr Antonio Tajani, responsible for Industry and Entrepreneurship met with high representatives from the Steel Industry and the Social Partners in the second meeting of the High-level Roundtable on the future of the European Steel Industry.
Stakeholders were invited to discuss and propose recommendations for a better action plan for the development of the sector. The Commission is preparing an Action plan for the European Steel Industry. The new plan will enhance innovation, growth and employment.
The steel sector plays a crucial role in the European economy (employment of 360.000 people, turnover of around 170 billion). However, today European steelmakers are facing challenging economic conditions. Production has decreased by 16% since 2007. Due to the current economic situation, crude steel outputin the EU is around 17% below the level of 2007 and in 2012 it is forecast to fall by 5% compared to last year. In several EU countries much of the steel produced remains unused. The low demands in steel are estimated to account for around 20 - to25% of the total production capacity.
The first High-level Roundtable on the future of the European Steel Industry was launched on September 2012, by Commissioners Tajani and Andor. At the first meeting the stakeholders identified the main challenges of the sector. These are
1. International competition including protectionism and unfair trade practices
2. Access to raw materials
3. Regulatory costs
4. Implementation of EU climate policy (Emission trading scheme)
5. EU climate policy objectives for post-2020
6. Costs of energy
7. Resource-efficiency
8. Skills shortages
9. Adaptations of capacities
10. R&D and innovation
11. Demand side measures stimulating recovery in the main steel-using sectors.