Environment

From the 7th to the 18th of December 2009 Copenhagen will host the 15th Conference of Parties (COP 15) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. This conference will be crucial for the shape of future international climate change policies – and the future competitiveness of the European steel industry.

A fair ETS benchmark system must allocate waste gas-related CO2 emissions fully to the waste gas producer

The Implementation of the ETS directive is threatening the existence of the steel industry in Europe

EUROFER explanatory paper – Critique of the Ecofys/Fraunhofer benchmarking system

Eurofer explanatory paper on the interaction between the benchmarking rules and energy flows in ore based steel production

EUROFER, the European Confederation of Iron and Steel Industries, would like to make some concrete proposals on certain aspects aiming at improving the legal waste framework in view of the second reading of the Waste Framework Directive

Explanation of the difference between a sectoral agreement and a sectoral approach in the framework of the international negotiations on an International Post-Kyoto Agreement.

Eurofer analysis on the Communication COM (2010) 265 on Options to Move Beyond 20% Greenhouse Gas Emission Reductions and Assessing the Risk of Carbon Leakage

The Communication provides an analysis on the possibilities to step up the Community's pledges beyond 20% and on the competitive situation of carbon leakage risk sectors in the light of the results of COP 15. The Communication is a remarkable effort to define in a very compressed format the main and overarching aspects which influence and guide the Community's climate change policies.

EUROFER believes that the restriction of the use of mercury in the society in general, thereby preventing it from ending up in various waste streams such as steel scrap, is the best way of lowering the emissions of mercury from steel plants.

Promotion of market-based instruments should only be considered if it can be clearly demonstrated that they will deliver the environmental objectives at least cost and without damage to the competitiveness of the European industry.