Last Thursday, December 3, 2015, Mr. Miroslav Kiraľvarga, U. S. Steel Košice Vice President External Affairs, Administration and Business Development, participated in the session of the Board of Directors of the European Steel Association (EUROFER). As he said for the paper Oceľ východu, at this session he repeatedly emphasized the need for a common approach by the European steel industry in relation to the massive imports of steel from China. “The European Commission should respond to unfair practices in the importing of steel,” confirmed Mr. Kiraľvarga.
Representatives of EUROFER agreed that if no principal progress takes place in the next few weeks, at the end of January the steelmakers, in cooperation with labor union organizations, will organize protest actions in Brussels. Moreover, with the aim of protecting domestic European steelmakers against unfair Chinese imports, in this very month, December 23, EUROFER is to file an official complaint related to damage to the market for hot-rolled products. Subsequently, the European Commission has 45 days for commencement of anti-dumping investigations. After a period of nine months, the European Commission may impose temporary measures, unless any changes in the rules valid at the present time are adopted.
On the same day, Vice President Kiraľvarga and Mr. Michal Pintér, USSK Director Governmental and EU Affairs, discussed the problems of steelmakers jointly with Mr. Juraj Nociar, the head of staff of the European Commissioner Mr. Maroš Šefčovič, and Mr. Christian Linder, advisor to the Commissioner for energy-demanding industries. They also expressed their disapproving position to the potential granting of market economy status to China, about which the World Trade Organization (WTO) is to make its decision in the coming year.
