The interest of some metallurgical enterprises in the EU undermines the overall objectives of the EU sanctions against the Russian Federation, the industry association EUROFER said.
The European Union should reject requests from some member countries to extend import deadlines for Russian semi-finished steel products. Such a continuation risks becoming a historical mistake. This was stated in a statement by the European Steel Association (EUROFER), released the previous day.
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The association emphasized that European enterprises, by importing cheap steel from Russia, actually support the same factories that supply steel to the Russian military-industrial complex and related processing industries. Supplies from Russia must stop, although some steel mills have built a profitable business model with them.
“The opportunistic interests of some metallurgical enterprises in the EU undermine the general purpose of the EU sanctions against the Russian Federation, where steel plays a strategic role not only in the general economy of Russia, but also when directly to the Russian military machine involved in the illegal war against Ukraine. EU member states should not put together such a disgraceful system, approving another exception, which has already agreed to the two-year postponement of the ban on the import of Russian semi-finished steel products,” said EUROFER CEO Axel Eggert.
The industry association also states that failure to apply sanctions against Russian semi-finished products leads to unfair competition and an uneven playing field in the EU’s internal steel market.
As EUROFER has stressed, the business model of European re-rollers is based on cost advantages obtained through cheap imports from third countries. In contrast, EU-based European integrated metallurgy (with blast furnaces and basic oxygen plants) maximizes industrial, economic, environmental and social value creation within the European economy. In addition, European metallurgical plants immediately responded to the EU sanctions and suspended the import of Russian coal.
“EU member states must make it clear that no further exemptions for Russian steel imports can be allowed. Easing the current EU sanctions against Russia risks being self-defeating and a historic mistake, ” concluded Axel Eggert.
It is known that the Czech Republic is lobbying for the continued import of Russian slabs to the EU despite the eighth package of sanctions. This week, the Czech Minister of Industry and Trade Josef Sikella confirmed a request to extend the transition period until 2028. In particular, the company Vítkovice Steel, which has Russian roots and uses products from the plant of Russian NLMK, insists on continued imports. Belgium and Italy are also asking for exceptions for Russian slabs.
In the past, the media reported that Russia was selling metal to the EU while Ukrainian ports were blocked. The majority of imported steel in the EU comes from Russia through various gaps in the law and exceptions to the rules, the Belgian publication stated.
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Source: korrespondent
I’m Liza Grey, an experienced news writer and author at the Buna Times. I specialize in writing about economic issues, with a focus on uncovering stories that have a positive impact on society. With over seven years of experience in the news industry, I am highly knowledgeable about current events and the ways in which they affect our daily lives.