Antonio Gozzi, president of Italian steel association Federacciai, has called for a deep overhaul of the EU's emissions trading system (ETS), stronger protection for scrap on the European market and the adoption of a more coherent European industrial strategy for the steel sector. He made the announcement on April 9 at the Italian Ministry of Enterprise and Production (MIMIT) during a meeting with the EU Commissioner for Industry, Enterprise, SMEs and the Single Market, Stephane Sejournet.
In detail, Gozzi said that the proposals put forward so far regarding the abolition of quotas on the ETS are insufficient and that more structural intervention in this mechanism is necessary. Among the issues raised by President Federacciai we are the revision of benchmarks between countries, changes to the algorithm used to distribute benefits and the elimination of financial intermediation.
According to Gozzi, there is also a continuing risk of weakness of the current European regulatory framework, which does not seem to be able to respond effectively to the crisis factors affecting sector. In his opinion, the measures currently available to the steel industry remain fragmented and are not included in the organic industrial strategy at EU level. Gozzi stressed that the current regulatory framework limits the possibility of concluding direct agreements for more efficient energy procurement, including in the case of nuclear energy, which is still considered as traditional energy. Another issue raised with the European Commissioner was ferrous scrap, which Gozzi described as a strategic raw material for the steel supply chain. On this occasion, the President of Federacciai reiterated the need to ensure its availability on the European market, and also stressed the importance of supporting the production of environmentally friendly steel, a segment in which Italy remains the leading producer in Europe.
Gozzi therefore called for decisive action at European level to overcome the current regulatory restrictions and build a fairer, more efficient and more closely responsive system to the needs of industry.
As previously reported SteelOrbis , in recent weeks, President Federacciai has repeatedly drawn attention to the critical problems associated with the ETS system, highlighting its impact on energy costs and the need for a structural review at European level. Gozzi also expressed concerns about other
