EUROFER (European Confederation of Iron and Steel Industries) director general Gordon Moffat isn't happy with the results of the Copenhagen deal. "We had hoped that an agreement in Copenhagen would have resulted in a global level playing field between industrial competitors worldwide," he said.
"Until an agreement is reached which results in comparable efforts by industries worldwide the EU must maintain the measures foreseen to protect the competitiveness of European industry," Moffat added.
EUROFER urges the EU therefore to ensure the following:
- No unilateral increase of the EU's GHG target from 20% to 30%
- In the implementation of the EU emissions trading directive (ETS) fully 100% free allowances, based on achievable benchmarks, for the European steel industry and other sectors at risk of carbon leakage
- Compensation for ETS related increases in electricity prices in order to preserve steel recycling in Europe
- No European financial support for climate change mitigation and adaptation measures to countries which do not agree to international monitoring of all their industrial GHG emissions
- Increase of financial support for R&D of carbon lean technologies in the EU.
EUROFER, which is located in Brussels, represents 100% of steel production in the EU. The industry employs 420,000 and produces 200 million tons of steel per year.
