Members of the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade (INTA) held an initial exchange of views on the revised safeguard proposal on steel (see EUROPE 13725/1) on Tuesday 4 November. They broadly welcomed the proposal, which they felt was a step in the right direction.
However, they do not wish to rush the work, despite the tight schedule. As the current safeguard expires in June 2026, the co-legislators will have to reach an agreement by then to ensure that steel imports remain regulated. “We’ll go fast, but we won’t set aside our right to examine. The Commission knew for eight years when the safeguard would expire and it presented its proposal only a few months beforehand, so the responsibility is shared”, said the Chair of the INTA Committee, Bernd Lange (S&D, German).
The rapporteur on the text, Sweden’s Karin Karlsbro (Renew Europe), is due to present a first draft of her report on 2 December, with a view to a vote in the INTA Committee in February. In the meantime, the Committee on Industry (ITRE) is expected to submit a draft opinion.
The case of partners with trade agreements. During the debate, several MEPs asked the European Commission about the treatment of countries with which the EU has free trade agreements (FTAs). The Commission announced in October that these could not be exempted from the measure. However, “preferential treatment” should be put in place for them, said Léon Delvaux, Director at the European Commission’s DG Trade, on Tuesday.
He was also asked about the negotiations with third countries that would follow the adoption of the text, in order to find compensation for them. “I’m not saying that it will be easy to talk to the partners, but we have no choice. We don’t want to do what other countries are doing, and we want to preserve the elements of free trade”. He added that there is no precise timetable for these negotiations. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)