EUROMETAL POSITION ON GLOBAL STEEL SUPPLY CHAINS AND INTERNATIONAL STEEL TRADE

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Together with the London based International Steel Trade Association, ISTA, the Washington based American Institute for International Steel, AIIS,  EUROMETAL is a founding  member of the Partnership for Global Steel Supply Chains & Trade.

 

 

As embodied in the Marrakesh Agreement establishing World Trade Organization, the primary guiding principles of free and fair trade are the following:

 

Ø  Non-discrimination between WTO member trading partners and non-discrimination by a WTO member country between its own and foreign products, services and nationals.

 

Ø  More open markets for all WTO members, by eliminating or lowering trade barriers such as customs duties, import bans, “buy local” provisions, selective quotas.

 

 

Ø  Predictability and transparency regarding international trade policy, meaning no arbitrary trade measures and providing planning safety to all actors involved in international trade.

 

Ø  Discouraging unfair competition, by banning unfair trade practices such as subsidizing and dumping and by promoting fair trade rules.

 

 

 

EUROMETAL fully supports these basic rules in order to promote global steel supply chains and international steel trade.

 

 

 

 

As we have seen especially over the last few decades, the main customer segments of steel users are continuously developing their supply chains into a more global and interlinked steel supply network.

 

These main customer segments of main steel end use sectors are:

 

ü  Automotive

 

ü  White Goods

 

ü  Yellow Goods,

 

ü  Oil & Gas Exploration and Production

 

ü  Mechanical Engineering and Chemical Industry

 

ü  Construction

 

 

EUROMETAL aims to support predictability, transparency, planning reliability and fair trade rules in all matters pertaining to international steel supply chains and international steel trade.

 

 

 

 

The following considerations regarding international steel supply chains and international steel trade shall inform and guide EUROMETAL’s action:

 

·         Steel distributors, steel traders and steel end users have a basic common interest in avoiding fluctuating prices. Effective steel supply chains are based on planning, reliability and predictability, including the pricing of steel supplies, either from home market or from import sources.

 

·         Volatile price conditions must be avoided because they alter distribution patterns and compromise the balance between real consumption and apparent consumption

 

·         Steel distributors, traders and steel end users have a basic common interest in open and fair market conditions, in order to benefit from a reliable steel trade, not only for commodities, but also including niche and special products, which are more and more important  for EU manufacturing industries progress and for EU tailor made final applications.

 

·         Steel distributors, traders and steel end users support a timely settlement of steel trade cases, aiming to a free and fair global competition, avoiding oligopolistic or even monopolistic positions in EU steel markets, by taking into account also the effective market share situations as well as regional market situations

 

 

EUROMETAL is the European Federation of Steel, Tubes and Metals Distribution & Trade. EU steel distribution & trade account for 5 000 companies, mostly small and medium sized enterprises, providing jobs to 110 000 people in the EU. EU steel distributors and traders are systemic players in EU steel markets as they share more than 60 % of the supply in steel of EU manufacturing industries and of EU construction related sectors