At the EUROMETAL Central Europe 2026 regional conference, which is taking place in Warsaw, participants discussed the competitiveness of European industry, external dependence and costs associated with carbon dioxide emissions.
Alexander M. Julius, President of EUROMETAL, noted that there is a growing demand in Europe for electrification solutions, as well as products for the defense industry and robotics. According to him, a significant part of such goods are imported, which makes the European industry dependent on foreign suppliers.
Julius stressed that the course towards electrification will boost demand for products used, in particular, in unmanned systems, defense technologies, and robotics, while a significant proportion of these products are manufactured outside Europe.
Carbon costs affect export competitiveness
He also highlighted the carbon-related costs faced by European producers in foreign markets. Julius said that companies in Europe are incurring additional costs due to climate policy, while their competitors in a number of countries are not facing a comparable burden.
In his opinion, this creates unequal conditions for exports and may weaken the position of European producers in international markets.
Julius also said that in order to ensure fair competition, Europe should look beyond just protecting imports of raw materials in the steel industry and take into account competition from finished products.
The EUROMETAL President stressed that Europe needs to simultaneously protect the domestic market as the most important sales channel and increase production capacity in strategically important segments in order to reduce dependence on external suppliers.