Spanish steel association Unesid has called for the European Union’s Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) to include steel in the mechanisms designed to prioritise the purchase of products manufactured in Europe, Kallanish notes.
In a letter to the EU’s industry and economy ministers, the organisation has expressed serious concern about the latest draft of the act, which does not include steel in the list of materials or services that must be sourced in the EU for public tenders. Unesid warns that investment and industrial jobs will be lost if priority is not given to steel manufactured in Europe.
“If the exclusion is confirmed on 25 February, Europe will send a negative signal to investors at one of the most delicate moments for the steel industry,” Unesid states. “The European steel industry is facing historic investments to decarbonise its production, but it needs a clear signal that strategic demand, infrastructure, defence, automotive and green technologies will support production within the EU.”
For Unesid, losing productive capacity is not just an industrial issue for Europe, but one of economic security and strategic autonomy.
“The Spanish and European steel sector is undergoing the greatest transformation in its history, which will only materialise if there is regulatory certainty and effective demand. That is why the priority given to products manufactured on the continent must be real and limited to steel produced in the European Economic Area,” Unesid concludes.
German steel players also expressed concern last week that the IAA draft suggests low-emission steel could be sourced outside the EU (see Kallanish passim). The IAA is due to be presented by the European Commission on 25 February.
