FACE, The Federation of Aluminium Consumers in Europe, issued a statement to draw the attention of European Institutions on the consequences of American sanctions against Russia which became effective on April 6th and hit UC Rusal’s activities hard.
FACE calls for urgent attention of national and EU authorities on the situation in which we find ourselves as European downstream aluminium transformers and users and on its consequences for our customers and employees due to recent developments related to sanctions imposed on UC RUSAL. Primary aluminium from RUSAL accounts for 20% of EU consumption and for 30% of EU imports of this raw material. The critical and systemic EU market post-sanction situation poses a number of important questions related to protections guaranteed by EU values and treaties ; beyond acute market, supplies, pricing and industrial harms and problems for the European aluminium industry, whose workforce is 95% employed in the downstream sector. There is a dimension of collective punishment de facto applied to EU companies and citizens directly and indirectly affected by the extra-territorial effects of the sanctions. Furthermore, fundamental EU rights are impacted, notably one of the pillars of the EU Treaties, the right to the free movement of capital in the EU, and Article 16 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union on the freedom to conduct a business, as EU companies and citizens are forced into restrictions of payments and of business transactions. The shortages of metal and high price raise subsequent to the imposition of sanctions has adverse effects in respect also to important EU policies, such as competitiveness and access to raw materials (EU industrial and trade policies), and EU climate and environmental policies, as well as the implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement (the aluminium produced by Rusal and its subsidiaries has a very low carbon footprint, whereas potential substitution options may likely have a much higher carbon and environmental footprint). The survival of our industry is at stake. We hope that our national and European authorities will do the utmost urgently to protect our fundamental rights and important EU policies in the present circumstances.
Brussels, April 19, 2018
Contact person :
Mario Conserva, Secretary-General, FACE
Tel : + 39.3357194359
Email : mario.conserva@edimet.com
The Federation of Aluminium Consumers in Europe (FACE), created in 1998, represents independent EU downstream aluminium transformers and end-users.
6, Rond-Point Schuman, 1040, Brussels, Belgium.
Tel: +32.22347711