European manufacturing industry united against -30% climate change objective

The Alliance for a Competitive European Industry (ACEI), expressing the voice of European manufacturing companies with a combined €5 trillion turnover a year and employing 23 million people, is united in opposing any further increase of the EU climate change objective beyond -20% until other major economies have also made substantial and binding commitments.

“After the Copenhagen failure, the EU would be foolish to again unilaterally increase its GHG objective,” says EUROFER’s director general, Gordon Moffat. “Before Copenhagen, the Union affirmatively stated that it would only move to -30% if binding measures would be taken by other countries, comparable to the EU’s -20%. Clearly no other country has followed Europe. It cannot therefore credibly justify a move to -30%.”

Not only the credibility and predictability of the EU’s climate change policy would be lost but also the industry’s competitiveness further damaged. “Steel already has to reduce its emissions in 2020 compared to 1990 by over 40% due to the ETS. Another 10% would be fatal”, warns Moffat.

You will find ACEI’s open letter to the presidents of the European Council, European Parliament and the Commission hereafter:

Represented by EUROFER, the European steel industry is the world leader in its sector with a turnover of EUR 190 billion and direct employment of 420 thousand people, producing 200 million tonnes of steel per year.

Contact

Gordon Moffat, Director General +32 2 738 79 26 (g.moffat@eurofer.be)

Axel Eggert, Director Public Affairs +32 2 738 79 34 (a.eggert@eurofer.be)