On September 7, a convoy of trucks will gather in Brussels to draw attention to the growing pressure on European steel and metalworking chains. ,
,The action is organized by the EUROMETAL Distributors Association to emphasize that Europe must preserve the production value chains on which the transition to low emissions, strategic autonomy, employment and sustainability are based. The event will bring together representatives of the European steel, processing and processing industries.
"The truck convoy is not a protest against Europe. This is a demonstration of a strong European industrial base, fair competition, trust in the climate and reliable supply chains," EUROMETAL says.
The essence of the protest is that so far steel imports have not been included in the Carbon Boundary Regulation Mechanism (CBAM), which applies only to direct-produced products.
Increasingly, industrial goods that require high steel costs and metal derivatives without equivalent trade obligations, origin, carbon and regulatory requirements are entering the European market, EUROMETAL notes. This leads to the displacement of production, jobs and emissions outside Europe, while weakening the existing industrial base within the country, EUROMETAL warns.
The Association has repeatedly pointed out the danger of this loophole, most recently in early June at the Europe Steel Markets Conference organized by Kallanish in Vienna.
According to the EUROMETAL base document, the studied short list of the most important imported steel products increased from 3.774 million. Tons in 2010 to 8,050 million . Tons in 2024. According to EUROMETAL, particularly dynamic growth is observed in railway technology, electrical engineering, automotive components, metal furniture and prefabricated structures.
The core document also highlights the risks of international trade leakage. Without appropriate EU action, Europe risks becoming a market for reoriented overcapacity and carbon-intensive steel-based products.
"Thus, the demonstration of a convoy of trucks in Brussels is necessary to show that this is not an abstract political debate. This affects real companies, real drivers, real workers and real communities," concludes EUROMETAL.
Christian Kelz Germany