On June 3, 2025, EUROMETAL participated in a high-level stakeholder round table on energy-intensive industries hosted by the European Parliament in Brussels.
The event, part of the relaunch of the Draghi Europe campaign, aims to promote dialogue between policy makers and key industrial actors on the future of European competitiveness in the context of a green economy.
EUROMETAL was represented by Dominique Laurent, Managing Director of BELMETAL, who delivered the lift step, highlighting the challenges and opportunities faced by steel distribution, warehousing, and service centers in Europe moving towards decarbonization.
During his speech, Dominique Laurent noted five main ideas:
the need for clear, stable, and consistent regulation, especially around CBAM, CSRD, and ESR to support investment planning and compliance;the value of demand incentives to accelerate the use of low carbon steel;the relevance of targeted retraining and training programs that reach the bottom actors of the value chain, including SMEs;recognition began to be used in the framework of ESG and public procurement policy;and the need to provide a supportive logistics infrastructure and cost-effective, low-emission transportation solutions.The round table was chaired by MEP Cargo Transportation Juan de Figueiredo and MEP Brigitte van den Berg, along with several other members of the European Parliament and senior representatives of the Commission.
In an open discussion, there are several recurring topics, including:
The urgent need for faster and more predictable legislation;calls to streamline the EU regulatory framework and reduce the number of by-laws;the need to reduce energy costs for industry, in particular electric energy;and the importance of maintaining European industrial competitiveness, especially in the face of unfair competition at the global level.The European Commission has recognized the concerns raised by stakeholders and is committed to improving dialogue with small and medium-sized businesses, especially near training programmes and the introduction of reuse techniques into sustainable development policies.
