A demonstration in Brussels, organized by IndustriAll with the support of the European Steel Association (EUROFER), has just ended.

The demonstration was attended by thousands of trade unionists from all over Europe, including trade unionists from Slovakia and 45 of our colleagues from U. S. Steel Košice.

Juraj Varga, Chairman of the RO OZ KOVO U. S. Steel Košice: "In Brussels, a very strong voice was heard from all trade unions, which have the same opinion that it is necessary to make a reasonable policy in the EU, which will make the requirements realistic and will not harm the industry."

Steelmakers from across the EU have joined workers from other manufacturing sectors in calling on the European Commission to save the industry and preserve employment by investing in good industrial jobs and transition, while fighting global overcapacity and unfair trade.

Without immediate action by the European Union, there will be further plant closures and job losses in the steel industry. For every direct job in the steel industry, seven more are linked to the EU economy: steel is at the heart of many other sectors, from automotive, construction and defence to aerospace. If steel disappears from Europe, value chains and prosperity will also disappear.

Facts about the steel industry

• The European steel industry provides more than 300 000 direct jobs and supports more than 2.2 million indirect jobs. Almost 100,000 jobs have been lost in the last 15 years, and further cuts are now looming as a result of unprecedented challenges.
• Global steel overcapacity is at record levels – 551 million tonnes in 2023, four times the EU's steel production – and is projected to increase further to around 700 million tonnes by 2026.
• Steel production in the EU has fallen by 34 million tonnes since 2018 and has fallen to only 126 million tonnes in 2023. Imports currently account for 27% of the EU market.
• Capacity utilisation in the EU has fallen to an unsustainable 60%. The EU is the only major region in the world to have reduced its steel production capacity by 35 million tonnes in the last 15 years, including 9 million in 2024 alone.

Following the presentation of the Competitiveness Compass, which identifies the vulnerability of the European steel industry in an atmosphere of low demand, high energy prices and unfair competition, the European steel industry expects the Clean Industry Agreement and the Steel and Metals Action Plan to deliver real solutions to long-standing problems.

The problems are clearly named. What to start with is the first priority, which is also mentioned by Eurofer. It is to protect the EU market, which destroys unfair dumping.