Brussels, 10 September 2025 – Reacting to today’s State of the Union Address delivered by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Axel Eggert, Director General of the European Steel Association (EUROFER) said:

“We welcome Commission President von der Leyen’s attention to steel in today’s State of the Union speech, and her commitment to propose measures to support our sector and Europe’s clean manufacturing value chains. Our industry is currently facing all odds: global overcapacity, unfair trade practices, high energy prices, scarcity of strategic raw materials such as scrap, and the massive investment challenge of decarbonisation. Her promise of proposals supporting the transition efforts of the European industry – from lead markets for green products made in Europe to action on trade, circular economy and energy – is encouraging.

Now we urgently await effective proposals, with trade as the first priority, to shield EU steelmakers from global overcapacity and unfair competition. As President von der Leyen rightly pointed out, we need a robust successor to the steel safeguards to prevent our market from collapsing under a flood of cheap, high-carbon imports.

The Steel and Metals Action Plan (SMAP), unveiled last March, must be implemented in full – without watering down the ambition of the Commission President and her College of Commissioners. This is essential to secure Europe’s strategic autonomy and clean future - which starts with a competitive steel industry, its manufacturing value chain, and quality jobs at home.”

Full 2025 State of the Union Address by President von der Leyen: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/ov/SPEECH_25_2053

Photo source: EC - Audiovisual Services, © European Union, 2025

Notes for editors

Contact
Lucia Sali, Spokesperson and Head of Communications, +32 2 738 79 35, (l.sali@eurofer.eu)

About the European Steel Association (EUROFER)
EUROFER AISBL is located in Brussels and was founded in 1976. It represents the entirety of steel production in the European Union. EUROFER members are steel companies and national steel federations throughout the EU. The major steel companies and national steel federation of Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom are associate members.

The European Steel Association is recorded in the EU transparency register: 93038071152-83.

About the European steel industry
The European steel industry is a world leader in innovation and environmental sustainability. It has a turnover of around €215 billion and directly employs around 298,000 highly-skilled people, producing on average 146 million tonnes of steel per year. More than 500 steel production sites across 22 EU Member States provide direct and indirect employment to millions more European citizens. Closely integrated with Europe’s manufacturing and construction industries, steel is the backbone for development, growth and employment in Europe.

Steel is the most versatile industrial material in the world. The thousands of different grades and types of steel developed by the industry make the modern world possible. Steel is 100% recyclable and therefore is a fundamental part of the circular economy. As a basic engineering material, steel is also an essential factor in the development and deployment of innovative, CO2-mitigating technologies, improving resource efficiency and fostering sustainable development in Europe.