IndustriAll Europe and the Offshore Wind Foundations Alliance (OWFA) have jointly written to Maroš Šefčovič, European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, urging the European Commission to extend EU steel safeguard measures to cover monopiles and offshore wind foundations. Such action is urgently needed to protect a strategic European manufacturing sector, safeguard quality industrial jobs and strengthen Europe's clean energy supply chains.

Monopiles are the large steel foundations that support offshore wind turbines and are an essential component of Europe's offshore renewable energy infrastructure. Europe currently has seven major monopile manufacturers across five countries, which until 2024 supplied the entire European demand for monopiles. These companies form a vital part of the industrial base needed to deliver the EU's offshore wind and climate ambitions. 

However, while steel plates and certain steel pipes benefit from EU trade defence measures, finished monopiles remain outside the scope of existing safeguards. This creates a significant loophole that allows imported monopiles to enter the European market without equivalent protection, despite the raw materials used to produce them already being covered by trade measures.

In the joint letter, we warn about the increasingly unfair competition that European manufacturers are facing from imports sold at significantly lower prices. Lower raw material costs, extensive state support and heavily subsidised steel production enable some foreign suppliers to offer monopiles at prices that European producers struggle to match. As a result, European production capacity risks being underutilised, threatening thousands of skilled industrial jobs and undermining investment in Europe's offshore wind supply chain. The protection of monopiles was also raised in industriAll Europe’s response to the public consultation on the functioning of the new EU steel regulation. We strongly support the regulation and called on the Commission to ensure that its monitoring addresses loopholes affecting downstream steel intensive products, including offshore wind foundations.

Europe's energy transition cannot be built on deindustrialisation. A strong European manufacturing base is essential to achieving the goals of the Net-Zero Industry Act, strengthening energy security and reducing strategic dependencies on third countries. Offshore wind foundations are a key part of this industrial ecosystem and should be recognised and protected accordingly.

Therefore, we call on the Commission to rapidly review and expand the scope of EU steel safeguard measures to include monopiles and other strategic downstream steel products. This would help ensure a level playing field for European manufacturers and workers while supporting the development of resilient and sustainable clean technology value chains in Europe.

In the letter we argue that this is not about shielding industry from fair competition. It is about ensuring a level playing field, protecting skilled jobs and preserving Europe's capacity to manufacture the strategic technologies needed for the green transition.