Serbia is closely following the EU negotiations on the proposed trade measures
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic wants to hold talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen about the EU's proposed new steel trade measures, which will hit Serbia hard, he said during a press conference last week.
"We want to discuss this with Ursula von der Leyen when she arrives in Belgrade and urge her to at least raise tariffs for us as a candidate country for EU membership, if she can," he said. "We will also accept quotas."
According to him, the European Commission's proposal to raise tariffs on imported steel will directly affect the Chinese-owned steel mill in the country, HBIS Group Serbia Iron. & Steel. "This is a huge problem for both us and our Chinese partners. We expected a reduction in quotas for steel imports from the EU, and Serbia could cope with this. However, now additional tariffs have to be introduced, and none of us can handle it."
The European automotive industry has been unable to cope with competition from China, and automakers have protested the proposal for new trade measures, he added. "Brussels protects the European steel industry and steel mills, but kills the European automotive industry," he argued.
Vucic said that apart from Serbia, the UK, Turkey and some other European countries were the most affected by the tariff increase.
In May, HBIS Serbia Iron & Steel has stated that it will continue to operate with only one blast furnace due to weak demand worldwide, especially in the European steel market (see Kallanish passim).
The Smederevo plant can produce about 2.2 million tons of steel per year using two furnaces, while the capacity of Plant No. 1 alone is about 900,000 tons per year. The product range includes hot and cold rolled rolls, etched rolls and sheet metal for electrolysis.
The factory employs 5,000 people, but according to Serbian authorities, it employs about 20,000 people in total.
The volume of steel production in Serbia in January-August amounted to 928,500 tons, an increase of 1.12% compared to the same period last year.
Svyatoslav Abrosimov Bulgaria
Kallanish.com