EC official pushes plan to boost 'made in EU' low carbon steel

Revising EU public procurement rules could be a decisive tool for boosting European steel demand, European Commission official Stéphane Séjourné said at the Federacciai steel industry assembly in Bergamo, Italy.

"Competitiveness is the top priority of this mandate -- including the competitiveness of our steel industry," Séjourné, the EC's executive vice president for prosperity and industrial strategy, said on the conference's sidelines Nov. 10. "The Industrial Accelerator Act, which will be presented in December, will include a minimum share of 'Made in EU' low carbon steel in publicly procured construction, infrastructure projects and vehicles sold in the EU market benefiting from public schemes."

He added that the details were still under discussion.

Giving priority to European steel

The EU, he said, must be prepared to prioritize European low-carbon steel in large-scale public purchasing to ensure that domestic producers benefit from the green transition. He called for a strategic shift that would enable European producers to regain competitiveness in strategic markets.

The Industrial Accelerator Act marks another shift toward industrial protectionism as Brussels prepares new steel measures to replace the expiring safeguards. Pushing the EU to be decisive, Séjourné's brought an urgent message: Europe cannot afford bureaucratic hesitation if it wants to protect one of its foundational industries.

Séjourné highlighted the safeguard clause designed to protect European steel producers from global overcapacity, particularly from Asia and the redirection of US imports, as an example of appropriate EU responses.

The new measures are set to replace the steel safeguard measures in June 2026 with a lower tariff-free import quota of 18.3 million metric tons and a higher 50% tariff on imports exceeding this cap. At the moment, the proposals are in the hands of MEPs, and Séjourné hopes the measures will be approved before the end of June, he said on the sidelines of the conference.

During a question-and-answer session with journalists before the conference, Antonio Gozzi, the head of Federacciai, said it was possible that they could win approval in April 2026, giving time before the expiration of the safeguards.

Energy prices and global competition

Séjourné pointed to energy costs as one of the structural disadvantages the European steel industry faces. He called for rapid and coordinated reform of the electricity market and highlighted the role of power purchase agreements backed by the European Investment Bank as a way to stabilize costs for heavy industry.

Séjourné cited the EU's "labyrinthine procedures" as a risk to the bloc's industrial ambitions, calling for fast-track parliamentary approval. He warned against allowing decades of industrial know-how to erode, adding that Europe must act with pragmatism and coherence to resist these pressures.

Platts, part of S&P Global Energy, assessed hot-rolled coil in Northwest Europe at Eur610/mt ex-works Ruhr Nov. 10, stable day over day.