The steel industry has long held a strategic place in the EU economy, fostering innovation, growth, and employment. To face the downturn of steel demand after the economic crisis and ensure a promising future for the sector, the European Commission is working on boosting the industry. Steel is closely linked to numerous industrial sectors such as automotive, construction, electronics and renewable industries.
The main challenges for the EU steel industry are linked to the cost and availability of raw materials and energy, environmental and climate change regulation, and competition from non-EU country producers. The main issues affecting the competitiveness of the EU steel industry were identified in the steel action plan