The CoR commission on Economic Policy today adopted by unanimity the draft opinion on Steel: Preserving sustainable jobs and growth in Europe, elaborated by PES member Isolde Ries, First Vice-President of the Saarland regional parliament (Germany).
"The EU steel sector has played and continues to play a central role in European integration. With 330 000 workers and 500 production sites in 23 Member States, it is one of the cornerstones of prosperity, employment and innovation in Europe", the rapporteur told ECON members. "The current crisis is affecting many steel-producing regions all over Europe. We urgently need a European response and a more effective external trade policy", she urged.
Among her key requests are the acceleration of the EU anti-dumping procedures, the abolition of the "lesser duty rule"(so that price dumping can be quantitatively compensated in full), and more trade countermeasures by the EU against imports at dumping prices.
Referring to the current negotiations on granting China market economy status, the rapporteur insists that "all parties must meet the relevant market economy criteria" and echoes the request of Edouard Martin (S&D/France), EP rapporteur on Developing a sustainable European industry of base metals, who recently initiated a public consultation on the topic, to urge the Commission to involve participants at an early stage in its decision-making.
Ries also advocates revising the Commission proposal on the EU emissions trading scheme, considering the need to secure the international competitiveness of energy-intensive basic industries including the steel industry.
The opinion fits into the broader context of reshaping the EU's industrial policy. The PES line has already been developed in the CoR opinion on the Action Plan for the steel sector (rapporteur: Dan Kersch, Luxembourg) and on a Stronger European industry for growth and economic recovery (rapporteur: Claude Gewerc, France).
