European metal producers are urging the EU to restrict scrap exports, warning that rising US demand driven by Trump’s 50% tariffs threatens Europe’s green transition and efforts to cut carbon emissions.
The bloc’s aluminium and steel industries are lobbying for swift intervention, including the reintroduction of COVID-era export authorisation measures or new export duties, to counter a sharp rise in scrap exports that they say is inflating prices and creating shortages.
“Scrap is a big issue,” said Axel Eggert, Director General of Eurofer, the European steel industry association. “We are asking for an export duty on scrap,” he added, noting that most non-EU countries already impose similar restrictions to protect domestic supply.
Recycled scrap is central to the EU’s decarbonisation strategy. According to the European Commission, recycling can cut energy use by up to 95% for aluminium and 80% for steel compared to primary production. But with the United States hoarding its own scrap following new tariffs, Europe is increasingly becoming the world’s primary exporter.
EU scrap exports to the U.S. nearly tripled in the first quarter of 2025 to 6,028 metric tonnes. Total aluminium scrap exports from the bloc reached 345,000 tonnes in that period, according to industry group European Aluminium, which includes firms like Alcoa, Befesa, and AMAG Austria.
In 2023, a record 19 million tonnes of ferrous scrap left the EU, mainly for Turkey, India, Egypt, and Pakistan. The trend has accelerated as U.S. buyers take advantage of a $750-per-tonne arbitrage window created by the 50% import tariff, undermining the price competitiveness of EU producers.
“If that arbitrage window stays, we will see massive damage to companies that invested the most into the Green Deal,” said Rob van Gils, CEO of Austria’s Hammerer Aluminium Industries. He warned that some companies may be forced to buy high-emission primary metal from countries like India if scrap prices rise too high in Europe.
While metal producers argue that retaining more scrap is vital for hitting EU emissions targets, recycling groups oppose the move. EuRIC, representing the recycling sector, insists that there is no shortage of scrap and that current EU demand only uses about 80% of available supply.
European Aluminium head Paul Voss called for immediate action ahead of a possible trade agreement with the Trump administration, noting that such deals may not be finalised before Trump’s self-imposed 9 July deadline.
“Extraordinary times call for extraordinary action,” Voss said. “We cannot afford to wait.”
The European Commission said it is reviewing the situation and will decide in the third quarter of 2025 whether trade measures are needed for steel, aluminium, and copper.
Meanwhile, industry leaders continue to warn that inaction could jeopardise the EU’s entire carbon-neutrality agenda.
“The CO2 footprint of the aluminium industry will be down the toilet,” van Gils said bluntly.
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European metal producers are urging the EU to restrict scrap exports, warning that rising US demand driven by Trump’s 50% tariffs threatens Europe’s green transition and efforts to cut carbon emissions.
The U.S. has sanctioned a top Venezuelan gang leader wanted for drug and terror crimes.
China’s annual “Two Sessions” meetings, held from March 4 to 11, offered fresh insight into the country's climate and energy outlook for 2025.
The Pentagon’s new long-range radar in Alaska has passed a key test, tracking a missile target as part of efforts to build the Golden Dome defense shield.
China announced on Tuesday that it will host a large-scale military parade in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on September 3, marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. President Xi Jinping is scheduled to deliver a keynote speech during the commemorative events.
Iran launched 18 ballistic missiles late Sunday targeting the U.S. military’s Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest American installation in the Middle East.
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A high-speed tram derailment in central Gothenburg, Sweden, has left at least eight people injured late on Thursday (19 June), after the vehicle slammed into a snack bar on Avenyn Avenue.
China has unveiled a mosquito-sized bionic drone designed for covert military operations and battlefield reconnaissance, marking a major advance in micro-robotics and stealth technology as part of the country’s growing focus on next-generation warfare capabilities.
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Russia will build its own messaging app for public use, citing security risks with WhatsApp and Telegram, and plans to make it mandatory in government institutions.
The U.S. has sanctioned a top Venezuelan gang leader wanted for drug and terror crimes.
The Pentagon’s new long-range radar in Alaska has passed a key test, tracking a missile target as part of efforts to build the Golden Dome defense shield.
China announced on Tuesday that it will host a large-scale military parade in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on September 3, marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. President Xi Jinping is scheduled to deliver a keynote speech during the commemorative events.
NATO chief Mark Rutte said he has full confidence in U.S. commitment to the alliance’s mutual defence clause, despite recent remarks by President Donald Trump that raised questions.
European metal producers are urging the EU to restrict scrap exports, warning that rising US demand driven by Trump’s 50% tariffs threatens Europe’s green transition and efforts to cut carbon emissions.
The U.S. has sanctioned a top Venezuelan gang leader wanted for drug and terror crimes.
China’s annual “Two Sessions” meetings, held from March 4 to 11, offered fresh insight into the country's climate and energy outlook for 2025.
The Pentagon’s new long-range radar in Alaska has passed a key test, tracking a missile target as part of efforts to build the Golden Dome defense shield.
China announced on Tuesday that it will host a large-scale military parade in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on September 3, marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. President Xi Jinping is scheduled to deliver a keynote speech during the commemorative events.
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