Spanish steelmakers’ association Unesid has expressed concern at the absence of a competent authority to manage the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) in the country, Kallanish notes.
The organisation has asked Spanish ecological transition and demographic challenge minister Teresa Ribera to accelerate the process since it is of “extreme urgency” following CBAM’s imposition from 1 October.
“There are many doubts in the market about the methods of action and, although the European Commission has published some explanatory guide, the issues are not clear enough,” says Unesid general director Andrés Barceló. According to the executive, the sector urgently needs an interlocutor in the administration to whom the industry can address its concerns.
“It is indispensable given the many technical aspects involved, some of them with extreme relevance for the correct use of CBAM, such as the coefficients to be applied to entries in case of lacking or doubtful data from importers into the EU,” Barceló explains.
Although the implementation of the new system aims to prevent or limit imports of carbon-intensive products into Europe, the executive points out: “Unfortunately, EU exports will continue to have to absorb the climate costs imposed by the regulation without any compensation, which will continue to represent a clear competitive disadvantage for the regional companies.”
Todor Kirkov Bulgaria
