November 28, 2024
PRESS RELEASE
MATERIALS: SENATOR GARAVAGLIA SAYS ALUMINUM TARIFFS MAKE NO SENSE, ITALY SHOULD LOOK TO NUCLEAR TO BE COMPETITIVE
CONSERVA (FACE) SAYS ‘RADICAL CHANGE’ NEEDED TO SAVE EUROPEAN ALUMINUM INDUSTRY
Rome, 28/11/2024: “European tariffs on aluminium make no sense, as they directly impact the budgets of companies and families.” This was stated by Massimo Garavaglia, President of the Senate Finance Committee, during the conference “A Green Competitiveness Agenda for Europe“, held today in Rome at the Ara Pacis to celebrate the 25th anniversary of FACE (Federation of Aluminium Consumers in Europe). The event brought together experts, institutional representatives, and entrepreneurs to discuss the future of a key sector for climate, energy, and industrial transition.
Garavaglia emphasized the importance of avoiding wrong ideological choices and instead focusing on policies that balance ecological transition and industrial sustainability. “We must not repeat ideological mistakes,” he explained, “but aim for decisions that strengthen our industrial system while maintaining competitiveness.”
The President then touched on the topic of nuclear energy, defining it as a strategic component: “Without introducing nuclear into our energy system, we are at a huge disadvantage compared to other countries.”
Echoing his views on aluminium tariffs, Deputy Minister of Economic Development Valentino Valentini, in a video message, emphasized the need for a more strategic approach from the European Union: “Europe must rethink its industrial policies,” he said, “eliminating barriers such as tariffs on essential raw materials, promoting recycling as a pillar of a circular economy, and ensuring SMEs have simplified access to financing and advanced technologies.”
Following this, Mario Conserva, president of FACE (Federation of Aluminium Consumers in Europe), reiterated the need for radical change in European policies to ensure the competitiveness and sustainability of the sector, also highlighting the risks related to global geopolitical tensions.
“With the possibility that a new Trump administration might introduce universal tariffs of 10-20% and high tariffs on China,” he stated, “our industry must prepare for enormous shocks. This is not the time for measures that further aggravate our vulnerabilities, penalizing European aluminium processors, the future of our industry.”
Conserva highlighted the contradictions in EU policies, which often penalize SMEs, responsible for 90% of the sector’s workforce and 70% of the value chain. He criticized the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) for the bureaucratic and fiscal complexities that affect businesses, unlike the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which offers direct incentives and flexibility for industrial production.
Referring to the reports by Mario Draghi and Enrico Letta, Conserva emphasized that to address these challenges, Europe must mobilize up to 1 trillion euros per year to support energy, digital, and industrial transitions, eliminate restrictions on low-carbon aluminium supplies, and focus on reindustrialization. “Reindustrialize to decarbonize,” he concluded, “this is the only way to ensure a competitive and sustainable future for European industry.”
You can download the PDF of the press release in Italian and English here.
You can find the linked Position Paper here.