Brussels, 15/02/2016 (Agence Europe) - At a conference on the steel crisis in Brussels on Monday 15 February, the French minister for the economy and industry, Emmanuel Macron, supported the project for a carbon adjustment mechanism on the external borders called for by Édouard Martin MEP (S&D, France) in his report on the steel industry which was adopted in December of last year (see EUROPE 11455).
Macron, who initiated a letter signed by seven member states (Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Poland and the United Kingdom) and supported by others - such as Austria, Spain and Romania - to call upon the Commission to act fast to protect the EU's steel sector (see EUROPE 11485), said that France had proposed a similar initiative for the cement sector in early February. The minister is proposing carrying out an experiment, not on the whole of the European industry, but on pilot industrial sectors under particular threat, such as the cement and steel sectors.
Macron went on to reiterate his proposals in his joint letter, such as the immediate objective of speeding up the sanction-action procedures which are under the aegis of the Commission and, in the medium term, adopting the package on the modernisation of trade defence instruments. As regards the issue of granting market economy status to China, the French minister trod carefully, but did state that the principle of automaticity should not apply.
The exchange of views was held at the end of a day dominated by the steel crisis, with a high-level conference on the high energy-consuming industries and a demonstration by the steel sector, for the first time bringing together employers and employees, outside the Berlaymont building, the headquarters of the European Commission (see other article).
At the end of the exchange of views, which was also attended by Bart Samyn, Secretary General of IndustriAll, and Philippe Darmayan, CEO of ArcelorMittal France, Macron promised that he would speak before the European Parliament at the end of March or early April, after the Competitiveness Council, scheduled for 29 February and to be devoted to the steel industry crisis. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)