Industry, Conserva (FACE): “Tariffs, climate and energy. Defending aluminium in Europe”

Industry, Conserva (FACE): “Tariffs, climate and energy. Defending aluminium in Europe”

Europe has to import about 8 million tonnes of primary aluminium per year, compared to a total use of raw metal, including recycled aluminium, of just over 13.5 million tonnes. In recent years, in fact, the EU has experienced a sharp drop in the production of primary aluminium with a loss of 65%, and domestic production, which was over 3 million tonnes in 2000, now amounts to only about 950,000 tonnes.

This is a risky situation for a high-tech material that is widely and increasingly used in every industrial segment. In particular in Europe, this situation is impacted by circumstances related to the very characteristics of the production and supply chain of the versatile light metal: the high energy consumption in its production on which high and growing costs weigh; the actual availability of the raw metal and the problems in the supply chains, such as import duties in the EU, absurd for a raw material that we do not have; climate measures that impact on production costs, both as a cost and as a tariff on imports from less virtuous countries in the EU; then add to this the lobbying pressures for self-defeating sanctions that are also artfully constructed in connection with international crises such as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Our President and CEO Mario Conserva was interviewed by the Italian press agency DIRE to give voice to the thousands of small and medium-sized companies downstream processing, transforming and using light metal, which are today endangered by short-sighted, ineffective and self-defeating political choices for the European downstream.

“It is necessary to ensure uniform conditions and rules, a level playing field for our operators, with the same conditions of access to raw materials that our formidable competitors in the East have. Decision-makers must help us by selecting the most appropriate and environmentally friendly producers, the most reliable and also the closest, because distance also counts”, stated our CEO and President.

Read and listen to the whole interview: https://www.dire.it/05-08-2024/1069719-video-imprese-conserva-face-dazi-clima-ed-energia-difendere-lalluminio-in-europa/