News 2025

The European Commission published a Steel and Metals Action Plan to achieve a competitive and low-carbon steel and metals industry in Europe. It is the result of a process which included a Strategic Dialogue on Steel chaired by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and Executive Vice-President (EVP) Stéphane Séjourné. This exchange took place earlier this month with FIEC President, Piero Petrucco, among the participants. EVP Séjourné has now been at the Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe factory in Duisburg to present the action plan, and he will continue to explain it at other important steel sites in Europe.

The European steel industry plays a crucial role in the economy and is currently navigating major challenges. With 500 production sites across 22 Member States, it supports more than 2.6 million jobs. Figures indicate that nearly half of Europe’s steel production is used in construction.

The built environment is therefore considered among the sectors of application. Future assessments will recognise the key role of construction in the competitiveness of the entire supply chain. Specific measures like non-price criteria for resilience and sustainability will be introduced as part of the future Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act.
 

Furthermore, a label indicating the carbon intensity of industrial products will be introduced, beginning with steel already this year. This instrument aims to incentivise the steel and metals industry to invest in decarbonisation and to reap a “green premium”. However, the overall goal of the construction industry is to buy materials with the lowest carbon footprint at the lowest price – always on the basis of important technical characteristics.

Balancing those interests while reaffirming the commitment to Europe as an industrial hub will be one of the main objectives of the upcoming revision of the Public Procurement Framework in 2026.

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