News Global Market industrial policy 1456 26 February 2026
In addition, European energy-intensive industries have put forward demands for affordable electricity in the EU
The European steel industry has stated that EU regulations giving priority to locally produced materials should include steel, according to Reuters.
At the same time, it is noted that “local” should be understood to mean only the EU’s close neighbors.
The European Commission is expected to propose an Industrial Accelerator Act on March 4 with requirements for prioritizing locally produced products in public procurement. Its component, the «Made in Europe» provision, covers key strategic sectors (batteries, solar, wind, nuclear energy, hydrogen production, electric vehicles). However, it is unclear whether low-carbon steel will be included in the list.
The plans were supposed to be presented at the end of February, but were postponed due to disagreements over geographical coverage.
As Axel Eggert, CEO of the European Steel Association (EUROFER), noted, he agrees with the inclusion of countries that have a system very similar to that of the EU. However, in his opinion, not all countries that have signed free trade agreements with the bloc can be added to the list.
Eggert noted that the MENA region, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam should be excluded.
«These are the ones who are creating excess capacity, who are not decarbonizing as we should in the EU,» he added.
The CEO of EUROFER noted that the latest draft has probably abolished the «Made in Europe» requirements for steel. He stressed that many other trading partners of Europe buy domestic products — India, China, the US — but they do so for everything they produce, while the EU is currently only talking about low-carbon steel. Therefore, if there is a desire to stimulate investment in decarbonization, steel should also be included in the Industrial Accelerator Act.
It should be noted that earlier, energy-intensive industries in Europe put forward a number of proposals to ensure the achievement of the goals of the future EU Action Plan on Electrification. This is stated in their joint position paper.
Industry representatives warned that persistently high electricity prices risk undermining the competitiveness of the industrial sector and decarbonization efforts. They call for the development of a policy framework that will enable EU industry to pursue these goals.
The document emphasizes that the problem lies mainly in the lack of affordable and predictable electricity supply.
The Alliance of Energy-Intensive Industries calls on the EC to ensure that the Electrification Action Plan, expected to be published in May, takes into account a number of priorities, including: setting a competitive benchmark of €50/MWh for total electricity costs for industry; guaranteeing access to electricity at cost price for affected industries; maintaining compensation for indirect costs in the ETS after 2030; accelerating the implementation of a single EU market for energy, etc.
It should be recalled that EUROFER emphasized the need for a fair and effective trade agreement between the EU and the US. According to the association, exports of steel from the European Union to the United States in the second half of 2025 fell by 30% year-on-year after the introduction of US tariffs of 50%.
