The European non-integrated wire rod processors association EUNIRPA has stated that the European Steel Association’s (EUROFER) request to reduce the steel import quota levels in the EU by as much as 75 percent amid the coronavirus pandemic is regrettably nothing less than an extraordinary attempt to use the temporary economic downturn resulting from the current sanitary emergency situation in order to continue its aggressive downstream integration strategy at the expense of the non-integrated EU downstream steel industry.
According to EUNIRPA, EUROFER is aiming to use the coronavirus crisis as a new attempt to further weaken and ultimately eliminate the non-integrated steel industry without any consideration for the strategic importance of this industry for the economy in the EU.
Although a number of steel mills in the EU have had to stop production and/or deliveries within the EU due to the lockdown, a significant number of non-integrated processors are still able to continue to maintain their operations running, EUNIRPA stated.
EUNIRPA stated that any additional restrictions on imports would lead to closures and the loss of tens of thousands of jobs and EUROFER’s request to reduce the available quotas under the current safeguard measures would lead to a virtual monopolization of the EU market against all the basic principles of free competition.