On Monday 7 September, around 200 representatives of the European metals and industrial sectors gathered at Schuman Square in Brussels for the European Convoy for Industrial Competitiveness. Belmetal took part in the initiative, organised by EUROMETAL, to draw attention to the competitiveness of European industry and the need for a stronger European industrial policy.
With an impressive convoy of trucks from across Europe, the participants sent a clear message to the European institutions: the competitiveness of European industry is under pressure and requires a coherent European response.
Protecting the entire value chain
In recent years, the European Union has taken important steps to protect European steel production from unfair international competition. At the same time, however, there is a risk that competitive pressure will simply shift further down the industrial value chain.
When steel-intensive manufactured products from third countries enter the European market without being subject to comparable conditions, European companies face an uneven playing field. This can undermine the competitiveness not only of steel producers, but also of steel processors, distributors and other industrial sectors.
For Belmetal, a coordinated approach covering the entire industrial value chain is therefore essential.
“We don’t want subsidies, we want coherent rules.”
With this message, Belmetal emphasised that the objective is not protection for the sake of protection, but fair and coherent competitive conditions for companies operating in Europe.
Why this matters for Belgium
The debate on European industrial competitiveness is particularly relevant for Belgium. The Belgian steel trade plays an important role between producers, processing industries and end users and is therefore directly connected to the international competitiveness of Belgian industry.
A strong European industrial ecosystem requires policy measures to look beyond production alone and take into account the entire chain in which steel and metals are processed, traded and ultimately used.
An important signal – but not the end point
Belmetal is proud to have stood alongside EUROMETAL, its members and partners in Brussels. The European Convoy sent a clear signal to the European institutions: a competitive European industry requires a level playing field and coherent policies across the entire value chain.
Today’s action is an important step, but the conversation must continue. Together with its European partners, Belmetal will continue to work towards a strong and competitive industrial ecosystem in Europe.