Under scrutiny from four parliamentary committees at a recent European Parliament meeting in Brussels on 12 November, Stephané Séjourné, the French candidate for the European Union’s Prosperity and Industrial Strategy portfolio, announced the need for a future pact between European companies and the European Union on ‘clean industry’ in order to lay down the foundations ‘for an industrial policy suited to our time’.

Mr Séjourné said that the EU will need to decarbonize and reindustrialise simultaneously and has already advocated a focus on strategic sectors with the highest potential and socio-economic impact. He has also advocated developing thriving markets for electric vehicles and heat pumps and promoting lower energy prices.

In the lead-up to Sejourne’s appearance in Brussels, the European steel industry, supported by cross-party MEPs and a leading trade union, have jointly called for an EU Steel Action Plan to restore steel’s competitiveness, and save its green transition as well as steelworkers’ jobs across Europe.

With political transitions both in Europe and the US, European steel social partners are increasing their calls for EU action to ensure that the European steel sector can compete on a tough global market while transitioning to green steel production and keeping thousands of quality jobs in Europe.

Global overcapacity is at a record high and energy and raw material prices are at uncompetitive levels. In short, says the European Steel Association (EUROFER) the over 300,000 direct jobs and 2.3 million indirect jobs are at risk in the European steel sector and this, it is claimed, is why there are calls for urgent EU action to safeguard the sector, its decarbonisation investments and thousands of jobs.

“The European steel sector is in crisis and every day we are dealing with production cuts, mothballing, closures and bankruptcies of steel sites across Europe."

Judith Kirton-Darling, industriALL Europe’s general secretary.

IndustriAll Europe, a federation of independent and democratic trade unions representing manual and non-manual workers in various industries including metals, and the European Steel Association (EUROFER), have produced a joint set of demands for the European Commission and EU Member States which has received cross-party support.

MEPs quizzed Commissioner-Designate Stéphane Séjourné on Tuesday as he has been by European Commission President von der Leyen to come up with an EU Steel and Basic Metals Action Plan. The aforementioned European social partners insist that the plan has teeth and should be published within the first 100 days of the new Commission.

“The European steel sector is in crisis and every day we are dealing with production cuts, mothballing, closures and bankruptcies of steel sites across Europe. Steel jobs are highly skilled and decent jobs, and we must protect them. We completely oppose European steel sites closing only for cheap and dirty steel to be dumped on the open EU market with no respect to the environment or social standards. Decarbonisation must not lead to deindustralisation and we need the EU to ensure a level playing field and a sustainable future for European steelworkers. Steel needs Europe and Europe needs steel,’’ argued Judith Kirton-Darling, industriALL Europe’s general secretary.

Axel Eggert, director-general of the European Steel Association (EUROFER) commented: “Steel is the backbone of manufacturing and vital for cleantech value chains, from renewables to electric vehicles. What is at stake is more than just the steel industry, it’s Europe’s prosperity and resilience. Billions of our investments in decarbonisation are at risk, while we have to bear energy costs that are 2-3 times higher than those of our main competitors in the US and China. Now more than ever, we need an EU Steel Action Plan, including with robust measures from trade to energy and green lead markets to ensure European steel’s viability. Following the elections in the US, the European social partners call on the EU and the US to continue working together to jointly tackle global challenges such as third country-driven, massive steel overcapacity and unfair trade practices that harm both sides.”

What is at stake is more than just the steel industry, it’s Europe’s prosperity and resilience. Billions of our investments in decarbonisation are at risk, while we have to bear energy costs that are 2-3 times higher than those of our main competitors in the US and China."

Axel Eggert, director-general of the European Steel Association (EUROFER).

IndustriAll Europe and EUROFER are calling on the European Commission and Member States to:

• Take action so that EU trade policy ensures industrial resilience including: strengthen and ensure an assertive enforcement of the EU trade defence instruments, and a more robust ‘tariffication’ regime to address the spill-over impact of worsening global steel excess capacity.

• Monitor and introduce measures to ensure CBAM works in practice and that there is no circumvention or resource shuffling.

• Adopt measures that transfer the cost-efficient benefits of renewable and low-carbon electricity to consumers.

  • Introduce a policy to create lead markets for green steel made in Europe.
  • Increase support for investment in the transition to green steel.
  • Take action to secure access to critical raw materials for steelmaking, including steel scrap.
  • Support strong social policy for good industrial jobs in Europe, including an EU Directive on Just Transition.

A EUROFER representative told Steel Times International, "The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a Clean Industrial Deal and a related EU Steel and basic metals Action Plan in the first 100 days of the new Commission mandate. Sejourne’ will be the vice-president/commissioner overseeing their implementation.

"They have not been presented yet as the new EU Commission still needs to be officially approved.

"EUROFER and IndustriAll have already presented their own proposal – which we hope the Commission will take into account once working on their official legislative proposal which should come in Q1 2025."