Aluminium: Europe risks losing industrial autonomy. FACE raises the alarm
Europe is facing a structural crisis that risks undermining its industrial autonomy: on the one hand, the sharp decline in primary aluminium production; on the other, the growing outflow of aluminium scrap to non-EU markets.
Today, the European Union consumes almost 13 million tonnes of aluminium per year, but produces less than 1 million tonnes of primary metal, covering over 85% of its needs through imports. This dependency weighs heavily on business competitiveness and is further exacerbated by import duties on foundry alloys that can reach up to 6%, generating an estimated cost of around €1 billion per year for European industry.
In this context, recycling is no longer an optional choice but a strategic necessity. Secondary aluminium delivers energy savings of 95% compared to primary production and is the only real tool to mitigate the structural deficit. Yet, despite Europe recovering more than 5 million tonnes of scrap, around 1.2 million tonnes are exported every year, depriving European smelters of raw material and putting thousands of recycling SMEs under pressure.
This “leakage” must be stopped. For some time now, FACE has been calling for a coordinated political response that recognises aluminium scrap as a strategic resource, introduces measures to retain it within European production cycles, supports investment in recycling, and reviews customs barriers.
Read the full article by Canale Energia here.
