WHAT HAPPENED

In a response dated 16 September 2026, EUROFER endorsed the Commission President’s broad industrial agenda. The association called for affordable energy and stronger Made-in-EU lead markets, identified forthcoming EU Emissions Trading System decisions as critical, and argued that the withdrawal of free allowances should reflect whether carbon leakage is being effectively prevented. It also sought stronger protection for downstream steel-intensive products and advocated keeping valuable secondary raw materials within the EU.

MetalMate summary of the linked evidence
WHY IT MATTERS

Commercial context

The statement highlights the European steel industry’s concern that high energy and carbon costs could weaken domestic production and decarbonisation investment. EUROFER’s focus on downstream goods suggests it sees leakage risk extending beyond primary steel, while retaining secondary raw materials could support EU-based production. The commercial impact will depend on whether these positions translate into policy.

MetalMate analysis
KEY DETAILS
  • EUROFER supports the agenda’s emphasis on competitiveness, affordable energy and a level playing field.
  • It wants energy and demand-side policies that encourage low-carbon steel to be manufactured—not merely consumed—in Europe.
  • EUROFER says forthcoming ETS decisions will be important for European steel production and decarbonisation investment.
  • It wants the phase-out of ETS free allocation tied to the effectiveness of measures preventing carbon leakage.
  • The association is seeking protection for relevant imported steel-intensive finished products and restrictions on exports of valuable secondary raw materials.
  • No specific measures, implementation timetable or quantified energy-cost targets were provided.
WHAT TO WATCH

Watch forthcoming ETS decisions, particularly the treatment of free allocation and carbon-leakage protection; any measures covering downstream steel-intensive products; policies supporting Made-in-EU low-carbon steel demand; and possible action on exports of secondary raw materials.

Source & methodology +

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Article status
Published · Version 1
Source date
Not supplied
MetalMate publication
11 October 2026
Verification
Automated evidence checks; not human reviewed

Steelmakers back President von der Leyen’s climate and competitiveness agenda, urge more action to keep production in Europe — EUROFER
MetalMate provides an English summary; consult the original wording.