Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has called on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to open negotiations on new EU steel safeguards, which he believes could hamper Serbia's ability to export steel to its key markets and pose a direct threat to the Smederevo steel plant, according to local media reports.
Warning that these The measures could undermine Serbia's investment attractiveness, especially in the steel sector, and weaken the country's competitiveness in the region, Vucic noted that they could disrupt supply chains linked to the Smederevo plant of local steel producer HBIS Group Serbia Iron & Steel, part of leading Chinese steel company Hebei Iron & Steel Group.
Serbia is also reportedly preparing a request for an exemption from the EU, which planned to impose 50 percent tariffs on steel imports, citing its EU candidate status and deep integration into European value chains.
