At a “steel summit” held on short notice in Berlin on Monday, German chancellor Olaf Scholz pledged his government will seek to ensure competitive national energy prices and fair international trade.
The steel industry is of “geo-political importance” for the country and the industrial value-chain associated with steel, Scholz said. He suggested power grid fees be capped, and that the government will take over some of the costs for power transmission, Kallanish learns from a statement by the government. He added he will address the energy issue with the European Commission in Brussels, along with measures to guarantee fair international trade.
In a statement issued by steel association WV Stahl after the meeting, its president Gunnar Groebler warned that the suggested amount for grid cost subsidisation of €1.3 billion ($1.4 billion) will not insufficient. He also called for a European steel summit, to clearly communicate the interests of the European steel industry and to decide on protectionist measures to that effect. Eurofer issued a statement on Monday calling for the same.
Press reports prior to the meeting had suggested that Scholz proposed the state take a stake in the ailing thyssenkrupp. However, he only said he would not exclude any option, and did not reiterate that point at the summit.
The German opposition conservatives were later cited as playing down the meeting as a “show summit” to serve election campaigning. Germany’s governing coalition of Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD), the Liberals (FDP), and the Green Party recently collapsed, with new elections to be held in February.
Participants of the summit included executives and works council chair people of thyssenkrupp Steel, Salzgitter, Stahl Holding Saar, ArcelorMittal, Georgsmarienhütte, Swiss Steel Deutschland, and of union IG Metall.
Christian Koehl Germany
