The pressures placed by European Union (EU) climate policies on the European steel industry to reach ever more ambitious CO2 reduction targets and the absence of technologies to achieve such targets were among the issues discussed during the European Steel Day held in Brussels on May 16.
The studies discussed during the event indicated that the European steel industry's potential to further reduce CO2 emissions from steelmaking up to 2050 is, due to economic and technical issues, limited to 15 percent per metric ton of steel produced. The theoretical potential is 56 per cent, which still falls short of the European Commission's 2050 target of around 80-95 percent and relies on the development of new technologies not yet in existence.
"I think we have reached a point where policy makers have to stop ignoring the limitations of certain industries to meet the EU's emission reduction objectives. Breakthrough technologies will be needed, and these need extensive research and development, pilot and demonstration tests", EUROFER president Dr. Wolfgang Eder said. He concluded that the EU climate and energy policies are among the main causes of deindustrialization in Europe.
