Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-11-20-Speech-2-623-000"
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"en.20121120.33.2-623-000"2
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".
Mr President, Chair of the Committee on Industry, honourable Members, the steel sector is a key sector for European industry, which employs 360 000 people, has a turnover of EUR 170 billion and occupies a key position in the manufacturing value chain. Following the restructuring efforts, and mergers and acquisitions of the 1980s and 1990s, the steel sector is today a dynamic and competitive global industry, even though it suffers from a certain number of problems.
Although 12 % of the steel sold around the world is currently produced in Europe – our companies supply around 80 % of the European market and export 80 % of their output – we cannot fail to notice how, on the one hand, the economic crisis and the stagnation of the euro area, combined with increasingly high prices of raw materials and energy, represent a problem for all our companies operating in the steel sector. Added to this is the strong competition from countries, particularly in Asia, where steel can be made more cheaply. On the other hand, demand for steel products from non-EU countries is also falling, as is demand for imports. Our electricity prices are among the highest in the world: if we were to compare this with, say, the United States, electricity in Europe costs twice as much as on the other side of the Atlantic.
We must therefore address a series of problems with this general framework, which is why I have renewed the commitment I assumed before the summer recess, following a meeting with trade union representatives accompanied by the Chair, Pervenche Berès, to set up a high-level group which will prepare an action plan for the European Commission before the summer of next year. The first meeting took place on 19 September, following which the interested parties – industry and company representatives – identified the major challenges that the steel sector must face.
One of the key messages is finding the right balance between the objectives of the various policies so that the European steel industry remains competitive and continues to offer employment prospects, and to prevent the erosion of the steel value chain. The next meeting is scheduled for 6 December, when we will try to examine in more detail the issues covered at the first meeting. I intend to submit an action plan to the College of Commissioners before the summer recess in 2013.
I am absolutely convinced that steel can and should be supported, because in our opinion this is not a structural crisis, but one linked to the general economic climate, which is why steel could again become a key player in our industrial policy over the next few years. It is no coincidence that Europe’s reindustrialisation policy covers certain sectors that need special support, particularly with innovation and significant public and private funding, high-quality sectors – such as environmentally sustainable buildings and clean vehicles – which are two of the principal customers of the steel industry.
Therefore, steel is an integral part of the overall strategy of the European Commission, which has set itself the target – as I have explained to the parliamentary groups and to the Council before that – of ensuring that, by 2020, 20 % of the EU’s gross domestic product will come from the manufacturing sector. Evidently we must strive to promote the latest business technologies, so that manufacturers can increase their capacity for innovation: even in the steel industry, it is still important to focus efforts on innovation. I am therefore optimistic, notwithstanding the difficulties. The European Commission is fully committed to applying itself in this sector, therefore I have asked Commissioner Andor to take part in all initiatives aimed at achieving the objective in question. My plan is twofold: (1) to anticipate the effects of a crisis that could potentially worsen, and (2) to act in concert with industry and with workers’ representatives – and with Parliament of course, as Ms Sartori and Ms Berès know, since I have always invited them to high-level group meetings on behalf of the two parliamentary committees involved in the steel strategy.
So: participation and consultation with all stakeholders, including the European Parliament. I believe these two words could guide us in the weeks and months ahead so that we might guarantee a future for the steel industry, which in my opinion could be a positive one. It is my belief that, if we work together intelligently, we can achieve the objective we all believe in, and which is central to the question raised by the Committee on Industry, which I have tried to answer, being in full agreement with the sentiments expressed by the European Parliament."@en1
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