Worldsteel freezes Russian steelmakers’ membership amid sanctions

The World Steel Association (worldsteel) and Russian steelmakers have mutually agreed to freeze the latter’s full membership of the association amid sanctions on Russia, worldsteel tells Kallanish.

In response to media reports that worldsteel has suspended Russian steelmakers, an association spokesperson says: “Worldsteel is constitutionally politically neutral, but as it is based in Belgium it has to comply with EU law. EU sanctions that will come into force this week oblige us to restrict access to our platforms, such as our membership extranet, for our Russian members.”

“However, it is important to stress that we have not expelled or suspended our Russian members, rather we have come to a mutually satisfactory arrangement with them in which they are voluntarily and temporarily becoming ‘passive members’. All access to our platforms will be reinstated when EU law allows for this,” the spokesperson adds.

In April, Ukrainian steel association Ukrmetallurgprom said it was suspending its worldsteel membership until the association “says goodbye to associations and companies from Russia” (see Kallanish passim). Earlier, Ukrmetallurgprom appealed to worldsteel on behalf of all steelmakers and miners in Ukraine to throw all Russian companies out of the organisation. 

Evraz, MMK, Metalloinvest, NLMK Group, TMK, Severstal and the Russian Steel Association are worldsteel members.

Ukrmetallurgprom pointed out that following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, many international organisations decided to suspend Russian participation. “However, unfortunately, representatives of the aggressor country are still taking part in the events of worldtseel,” it added.

Svetoslav Abrossimov Bulgaria