The dominant amount of imported steel in the EU comes from Russia through various loopholes in the law and exceptions to the rules, the Belgian publication stated.
The aggressor country Russia sells its steel products to EU countries while Ukraine’s ports are blocked. The Belgian publication De Morgen wrote about this in its report from the Zaporizhstal metallurgical plant.
Since the beginning of the war, it has become more difficult for Ukraine to export to the EU.
“An alternative is the railway, but it is not only more expensive, but also requires more time than before. First of all, passengers and military equipment are transported by train, and then cargo,” said of the article.
The publication claims that the main amount of imported steel in the EU comes from Russia through various loopholes in the law and exceptions to the rules. For example, this happens when European countries buy steel – partly as a finished product, and partly as a semi-finished product that receives a new label from sellers from other countries, or if the origin is hidden At the same time, Russian semi-finished products are assembled in Belgium, after which the finished steel is resold.
Earlier this year, the EU cut imports of Russian steel products by 60% compared to 2022, according to Eurostat. Belgium follows this trend: at the beginning of this year, the country imported 179.28 million euros worth of semi-finished products, almost 40% less than last year.
“But all this happens despite the sanctions. According to the Ukrainian research center GMK Center, our country is even the largest importer of Russian steel in Europe. The Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not give an answer to our request,” the publication pointed out.
It is known that the European Union adopted the 11th package of sanctions, but many exceptions were made for metal products. Cast iron and ore were not allowed, and the introduction of the ban on billets and slabs was delayed until 2024. At the same time, the Russian Federation also continues to supply sanctioned products to the EU, using imperfect standards in legislative.
It was previously reported that unblocking the ports would give Ukraine 10% of GDP. At the same time, while Ukraine lost more than 60% of trade due to the blockade of ports, Russia increased trade in 2022.
The media also reported that the unblocking of ports for metal exports could bring Ukraine an additional $600 million per month.
Source: korrespondent
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