EUROMETAL participates in European Parliament Roundtable on Energy-Intensive Industries

On 3 June 2025, EUROMETAL took part in a high-level Stakeholder Roundtable on Energy-Intensive Industries, hosted at the European Parliament in Brussels.

The event, part of the Renew Europe Draghi campaign, aimed to foster dialogue between policymakers and key industrial actors on the future of European competitiveness in the context of the green transition.

EUROMETAL was represented by Dominique Laurent, Managing Director of BELMETAL, who delivered an elevator pitch highlighting the challenges and opportunities faced by steel distribution, stockholding, and service centres as Europe moves towards decarbonisation.

During his intervention, Dominique Laurent underlined five core messages:

  • the need for clear, stable, and harmonised regulation, especially around CBAM, CSRD, and ESPR, to support investment planning and compliance;
  • the importance of demand-side incentives to accelerate the uptake of low-carbon steel;
  • the urgency of targeted reskilling and training programmes that reach downstream value chain actors, including SMEs;
  • the recognition of steel reuse in ESG frameworks and green public procurement policies;
  • and the need for supportive logistics infrastructure and cost-effective, low-emission transport solutions.

The roundtable was chaired by MEP João Cotrim de Figueiredo and featured contributions from MEP Brigitte Van Den Berg, along with several other members of the European Parliament and senior Commission representatives.

In the open discussion that followed, several recurring themes emerged, including:

  • the urgent need for faster and more predictable legislation;
  • calls to streamline EU regulatory frameworks and reduce the number of delegated acts;
  • the need to lower energy costs for industry, particularly electricity;
  • and the importance of preserving Europe’s industrial competitiveness, especially in the face of unfair global competition.

The European Commission acknowledged the concerns raised by stakeholders and committed to improving dialogue with SMEs, particularly around training programmes and the integration of reuse practices in sustainability policies.

EUROMETAL remains committed to representing the voice of European steel distribution and service centres in key EU policy dialogues. We thank the Renew Europe Group and participating MEPs for the opportunity to contribute and look forward to further collaboration on advancing a fair, inclusive, and competitive industrial transition.

EUROMETAL at Belmetal Steel Warriors 2025 closing event in Deinze

On Friday, 23 May 2025, EUROMETAL was proud to participate in the Steel Warriors closing event, organised by Belmetal at the Brielpoort in Deinze.

This unique initiative brought together 14 school classes from across Flanders and Wallonia, as part of the national competition Steel Warriors – powered by Belmetal. Over the course of the school year, students worked in teams to develop creative steel-related projects, present them to a jury, and promote them on social media.

The final event celebrated the students’ dedication, talent, and teamwork, culminating in the awarding of “The Drop”, specially designed trophy by artist Kevin Oyen, to the winning team.

EUROMETAL congratulates all participants and applauds the efforts of Belmetal — particularly President Vanessa Espeel and Managing Director Dominique Laurent — for their commitment to promoting steel among younger generations.

Initiatives like these are essential for building bridges between education and the steel industry, and for inspiring the next generation of talent in our sector.

EUROMETAL’s participation also offered a valuable opportunity to engage with Belgian steel distributors and event partners, further strengthening ties with the national steel distribution community.