European steel industry relieved by Commission decision not to propose Unilateral EU move to -30% in GHG reductions
The European steel industry is relieved by today’s decision of the European Commission not to propose a unilateral EU move from -20% to -30% in EU greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 compared to 1990 levels. “Realism regains some ground in Brussels”, commented Gordon Moffat, EUROFER’s director general.
“It would have been absurd to take the economic downturn as justification for more ambitious climate change targets,” Moffat said. “It is already a major achievement that the steel industry was able to keep employment almost stable during the crises while steel production fell by 35% in 2009. To force industry now to keep production below pre-crisis levels would inevitably have severe negative consequences for employment and the European economy as a whole.” Moffat warns that “too stringent measures would only lead to a shift of production or production potential to other regions without any major improvements in CO2 efficiency”.
Represented by EUROFER, the European steel industry is a world leader in its sector with a turnover of EUR 190 billion and direct employment of 420 thousand highly skilled people, producing 200 million tonnes of steel per year. More than 500 steel production and processing sites in 23 EU member states provide direct and indirect employment and a living for millions of European citizens.