The UK and six other European steel producers have urged the EU to fight back against cheap steel imports, to stop the European industry “collapsing”. Business secretary Sajid Javid joined ministers from Germany, Italy, Poland, Belgium, France and Luxembourg in demanding the EU “ensure a global level playing field” for the industry. “The European Union cannot remain passive when rising job losses and steelwork closures show that there is a significant and impending risk of collapse in the European steel sector,” they wrote, in a letter published by the Financial Times. The ministers call on the European Commission to tackle “unfair trade” from countries like Russia and China, for instance by taking swifter action in several pending anti-dumping cases. The European steel industry is suffering under prices that have gone into freefall on the back of cheap imports, particularly from China, and major steelmakers like Tata Steel cutting thousands of jobs in the UK alone. The ministers note that the EU conference on the industry’s woes, slated for 15 February, is an “opportunity to explore these issues”: We should also explore other ways to avoid the downturn of the European steel industry and guarantee the long term and sustainable development of the industry, such as supporting the development of low carbon technologies and processes for the steel industry.
UK Business Secretary , Sajid Javid , and his counterparts from France , Italy , Germany and Poland have expressed grave concerns to the European Commission ( EC ) that imports of subsidised Chinese steel continue to hurt the industry . They have called for the EC to speed up negotiations to enable a rapid introduction of anti - dumping measures or domestic steel industries will face collapse . As we have previously noted , the UK steel industry is in the grip of a crisis , with over 100 job losses since the summer , claiming it has been hit even harder than its European rivals due to higher costs and taxes . Recent data from the International Steel Statistics Bureau predicts a " dire " outlook for UK steel production with a drop of 20 % expected , the lowest level on record .