European metals groups agree to ‘pathway’

Two Brussels-based metals trade associations say they are cooperating with the government of the European Union on what they call a “transition pathway” to ensure the sustainability and resilience of the metals sector on the continent.

“The metals sector plays a pivotal role in facilitating the EU’s green and digital transitions by enabling several strategic value chains at the core of the clean tech economy,” Eurofer and Eurometaux say in a joint statement.

The trade groups, saying the effort is a cooperative one with the European Commission (EC), also state, “As other regions worldwide are equally transitioning toward a more digital and greener economy, the demand for metals is rapidly increasing, often designating them as critical resources for clean energy and electronic technologies. Steel and a wide range of nonferrous metals—such as aluminum, copper, nickel, zinc and lithium – are indispensable components of this transition: they are essential for electric vehicles [EVs], wind, solar and hydrogen technologies, to name a few.

"Europe must ensure the security and sustainability of its metals supply to deliver on its 2030 clean energy goals.”

The associations and the EC say the Transition Pathway process will lay out the main challenges to be faced, the investments required to overcome them and the necessary policy framework and conditions to encourage these investments, noting the process will accelerate over the next semester, with the objective of completing the work by the end of March 2024.

Guy Tiran, director general of the nonferrous Eurometaux association, does refer specifically to recycling, saying, “The faster Europe decarbonizes, the higher its metals requirements. Our industry has the ambition to supply more of the metals that Europe will need for its batteries, renewable energy technologies and grids—at the same time as decarbonizing, recycling more and continually lowering our environmental footprint.”

Axel Eggert, director general of Eurofer, says: “The transition pathway for metals is a timely opportunity to collectively craft a long-term vision for our industry with a fresh approach that transcends policy silos and encompasses various areas, from decarbonization to energy and circularity policies.

“Steel is 100 percent recyclable and a core material in all low-carbon technologies, ranging from wind turbines to sustainable buildings. We are already implementing several steel decarbonization projects across the EU.”

The EC's transition pathways process is designed for strategic industrial sectors and their stakeholders to develop an action-orientated roadmap towards 2050. "This roadmap should outline the technologies and regulatory components that will be required for enabling the sector’s twin transition, circularity and resilience," the EC says. Transition pathways previously have been established for Europe’s chemicals and tourism sectors.

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