The European Basic metals sector, and steel in particular, has been a staple of European integration since the very beginning. Lately, however, the sector has come under pressure from shrinking investments and global competition from emerging economies. Nonetheless, Europe’s metal producers are amongst the global leaders when it comes to environmental performance and achievements linked to emission reductions. IndustriAll Europe regards this sector as vital for the European industrial production chain that relies on high-quality basic metal products, such as steel, for many of the goods it produces.
Industrial policy initiatives laid out in the European Steel Action Plan, which are desperately needed to save the steel sector from being completely wiped out, have yet to be rolled out. IndustriAll Europe insists on a future for basic metal producers in Europe, given its role as the vital backbone of high-tech industrial sectors such as automotive, electronics and renewables and has put forward of series demands and goals it perceives in the EU policy arena: