With Europe’s steel industry at breaking point, industriAll Europe and the European Steel Association (EUROFER) held an emergency steel social summit to demand urgent action. Ahead of the announced Commission proposal addressing the impact of global steel excess capacity on the EU steel market, due by mid-October, the European social partners are united in calling for robust and effective trade measures. They also insist on fast and urgent implementation of the EU Steel and Metals Action Plan, especially concerning energy prices and demand. Maintaining the level of political ambition as promised in the EU Steel and Metals Action Plan is essential to restore steel’s competitiveness and save its green transition as well as steelworkers’ jobs across Europe.

As the situation of the European steel industry is worsening due to unfair trade practises and high energy costs, the European steel social partners continue their calls for immediate EU action to ensure that the European steel sector can compete on a tough global market while transitioning to green steel production and keeping thousands of quality jobs in Europe.

Global overcapacity at record highs, combined with energy and raw material prices at uncompetitive levels, have plunged the European steel sector into crisis, putting around 300,000 direct jobs and 2.3 million indirect jobs at risk. Only last year 18,000 layoffs were announced with a record 12 million tonnes of capacity closures, adding to the 100,000 job losses and 26 million tonnes of capacity closures between 2008 and 2023. This is why European steel social partners demand urgent EU action to safeguard the sector, its decarbonisation investments and thousands of jobs, before it’s too late.

Judith Kirton-Darling, industriAll Europe's General Secretary, said:

“Steel is the backbone of Europe’s economy, yet the sector is now at breaking point. That is why trade unionists from every corner of Europe have joined steelmakers at this summit to call for urgent action.

“Supporting steel is not just about saving jobs in our mills. It is about safeguarding entire industrial value chains and ensuring consistency in Europe’s industrial policy. The steel sector vitally needs Europe’s backing, and steel workers across the continent stand ready to defend their industry.”

Dr Henrik Adam, President of the European Steel Association (EUROFER), added:

“The European Union needs to act now, and decisively, before all lights go out in large parts of the EU steel industry and its value chains. Now more than ever, we need a new strong EU steel trade measure, competitive energy prices, and EU content provisions to ensure European steel’s viability and transition.

"Executive Vice President Sejourne’s participation in today’s Emergency Steel Social Summit gives us confidence that the future of the EU steel industry and its workers is a high priority for the European Commission.”

The European social partners industriAll Europe and EUROFER, are urging the European Commission, Parliament and Member States to:

• Implement fully, and swiftly the text and spirit of the Steel and Metals Action Plan presented by the European Commission on 19 March 2025.
• Adopt ambitious trade defences to secure Europe’s steel industry and ensure industrial resilience.
• Ensure the benefits of renewable and low-carbon electricity are passed on to consumers.
• Amend CBAM to make it effective against any circumvention of the EU’s climate policy.
• Retain EU ferrous scrap exports for the EU’s circular economy, climate and energy objectives.
• Introduce policies that create EU steel content requirement lead markets for green steel made in Europe. This should include public procurement measures linked to social conditionalities on the use of public funds.
• Support strong social policies for good industrial jobs in Europe.