Companies from across Europe’s steel and metal value chain gathered outside the European Commission’s Berlaymont building in Brussels on September 7 as part of the “European Convoy for Industrial Competitiveness.” The protest, organized by EUROMETAL, highlighted the message “Keep Manufacturing in Europe.”
Steel distributors, service centers, traders, metal processing companies and downstream industrial players, as well as representatives from other sectors, took part in the action. According to EUROMETAL, the event brought together 15 trucks and more than 200 delegates.
Sector highlights import pressure
One of the main concerns raised during the protest was the competitive pressure placed on European producers by low-cost products from outside the EU. Industry representatives argue that while European manufacturers face high energy, environmental and carbon-related costs, certain products from third countries can enter the EU market without being subject to the same obligations, creating an uneven competitive environment.
EUROMETAL also emphasized that the issue is not limited to imports of raw steel, but also extends to steel-intensive finished products, where regulatory gaps can put European manufacturers at a disadvantage. According to the organization, imported steel products face various trade measures and carbon-related costs, while steel-intensive finished goods produced outside the EU are not always subject to equivalent requirements.
Call to “Keep Manufacturing in Europe”
EUROMETAL stressed that fair competition across the entire value chain is essential to preserving Europe’s industrial capacity. The organization warned that current industrial policies have a direct impact on production capacity, employment, supply-chain resilience and Europe’s strategic autonomy.
During the action, 10 symbolic coffins were carried around the Berlaymont building to represent the production capacity, jobs and industrial know-how that Europe risks losing. The event program described the demonstration as a symbolic funeral for Europe’s manufacturing capacity.
Call to the European Commission
Industry representatives called on the European Commission to establish a policy framework that supports the competitiveness of European production and reduces the cost and regulatory disparities between EU-based producers and competitors from third countries.
According to EUROMETAL, maintaining Europe’s low-emission transition, strategic autonomy and skilled industrial employment depends on preserving a strong metal and manufacturing value chain. The organization therefore argues that trade policies should address not only steel production but also downstream industries that rely on steel.
The Brussels protest highlighted how import pressure, carbon costs, regulatory disparities and high production costs are increasingly affecting the competitiveness of Europe’s steel industry, while signaling that the sector expects stronger protection and support from the EU’s evolving trade and industrial policies.
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