Excess Capacity Front and Center at Paris Global Steel Forum
Overcapacity was the word of the day at the Global Forum on Steel Excess Capacity last week.
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The forum, which took place Sept. 20 in Paris, brought together the world’s biggest steel-producing nations.
“The global challenge of overcapacity has strained trade relations and the global trade architecture to its breaking point,” E.U. Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström said. “Progress in this Forum at this sensitive time demonstrates that multilateral cooperation is not only possible, but that it is actually the best tool to tackle global challenges. Putting this agreed package in place is something that the European Union will now follow closely. Our workforce and our industry depend on these commitments being carried out.”
Vice-President for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness Jyrki Katainen added: “This sends a clear message: we will not repeat the costly mistakes of the past, and must tackle excess capacity and its root causes to avoid dire social, economic, trade and political consequences in the future. This will protect growth and jobs in an efficient, sustainable EU steel industry. A lot of work lies ahead though and all members of the Global Forum will have to continue implementing their commitments resolutely and report to G20 Leaders.”
The Paris meeting built on last year’s meeting in Berlin, during which members agreed to embark on a package of reforms to address global steel overcapacity.
According to the European Commission statement, the members will assess subsides contributing to overcapacity by the end of the year and “identify further reductions to be taken” in 2019.
In other steel news, the European Commission statement refers to the U.S.’s Section 232 tariffs, which impact steel and aluminum, calling them “unjustified.”
While a select few countries have negotiated exemptions and quotas with respect to the tariffs, the E.U. remains subject to the tariffs.
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“The Commission has acted among others through trade defence, imposing antidumping and anti-subsidy duties, to shield the EU’s steel industry from the effects of unfair trade,” the release stated. “The EU currently has an unprecedented number of trade defence measures in place targeting unfair imports of steel products, with a total of 53 anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures. The EU has also activated all legal and political tools at its disposal to fight unjustified US 232 measures.”
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