Tag: Gerassimos Thomas

Last Thursday, 24 July, EUROMETAL President Alexander Julius and Director General Ricardo Silva held a virtual meeting with Mr. Gerassimos Thomas, Director-General of DG TAXUD (European Commission), to discuss two pressing concerns facing the steel distribution and manufacturing sectors: the implementation of CBAM and the trade treatment of steel derivatives.

During the exchange, EUROMETAL reiterated member concerns regarding the commercial uncertainty caused by the lack of benchmark values (for BOF and EAF routes) and the evolving role of the ETS price in CBAM calculations. EUROMETAL underlined that European manufacturers are already contracting steel imports for 2026 and require price clarity today, as many operate under fixed-price procurement models. The absence of key input values risks disrupting supply chains, especially as suppliers are unable to offer binding quotes for future deliveries.

Additionally, EUROMETAL informed DG TAXUD of its joint initiative with national distributor federations and EUROFER to advocate for equal protection for steel derivatives under EU trade measures. Currently excluded from safeguard and anti-dumping regimes, these downstream products are entering the EU at unsustainably low prices, undermining both EU processors and manufacturers. Insolvency rates in affected segments are rising sharply, reportedly reaching up to 15% per month in some cases.

EUROMETAL reaffirmed its commitment to working constructively with the European Commission to ensure that the full steel value chain — including distribution and downstream transformation — is effectively supported in the EU’s trade and decarbonisation policies.