European steel industry players are being confronted with a multitude of unprecedented risks, and therefore may want to rethink their alliances and the value of trusted partnerships, participants at the Wire & Tube trade fair in Düsseldorf have told Kallanish.
The industry is being shaken by “exogenous shocks”, Ralf Winterfeld of German stainless distributors organisation EHV (Edelstahl-Handelsverband) said in a presentation on the status of the stainless steel economy after Covid.
Following a decline in prices throughout 2025, alloy surcharges for ASTM 304 have risen by 16% since January and stabilised sales prices, he said. By contrast, the slightly positive macroeconomic forecasts issued in February by German economic institutes like IFO have already been nixed, not only by the war in Iran, Winterfeld said.
In response to a question on the impact on traders of CBAM and the proposed new EU steel trade measure, Winterfeld said: “You will have to rethink your sourcing completely.”
He added that “reliability and partnership are the currencies of our times”. Stable and reliable supply partnerships will be the best preparation and defence against erratic politics and incalculable risks from import restrictions, he said.
Along similar lines, Uwe Reinecke of rebar maker Feralpi Stahl recommended that businesses should look for opportunities amid the chaos.
Talking to Kallanish, he said that the unpredictability of US president Donald Trump should spur Europe to find new friends and partners in other parts of the world. The trust in the USA could be shaken into the next presidency, he fears. “Europe needs to use the momentum of the moment for new alliances, or we will die along with our wealth,” he concluded.
Author: Christian Koehl
