30th September 2024, 16:15 CET

It is 20 years since Mittal Steel acquired Polskie Huty Stali in 2004, when the business was put up for privatisation by the Polish government. Since then, the business has been transformed and modernised through significant investment. Today in Poland, ArcelorMittal has Europe’s most modern hot rolling mill, in Kraków; the heavy section mill in Dąbrowa Górnicza is in the elite group of mills able to produce 120-metre-long rail. Carbon dioxide emissions have been reduced by 42 percent, dust emissions by 90 percent, and energy consumption by 40 percent. According to the latest report from the Warsaw School of Economics, in 2023 ArcelorMittal was the second largest foreign investor in Poland. The company’s achievements gain even more importance at a time when many steel companies in the central and eastern Europe region are facing serious challenges concerning their future.

Speaking at the 20^th anniversary celebrations in Sosnowiec, Poland, Geert Van Poelvoorde, CEO ArcelorMittal Europe said: “As in the rest of Europe today, Polish steelmakers are under intense pressure, due to the high costs of making steel in Europe and the volume of subsidised, cheap imports flooding the market. As a result, the European steel industry will continue to shrink. But with the right policies in place to support us, we can thrive - and our industry can continue to be the foundation of European industry - in a new era.”

Mr Van Poelvoorde called on the Polish government for its support as it prepares to hold the Presidency of the European Council. This will be a critical time for determining the future of European steel, as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) legislation is finalised, which will determine European steelmakers’ ability to continue to produce steel competitively while also being able to make the investments needed to decarbonise.

“With Poland due to hold the presidency of the European Council for the first half of next year, I am sure that we can count on Poland’s support to translate the Commission’s ambitions into an effective policy to support the industry’s decarbonisation, and to introduce much-needed emergency trade measures for the steel sector. Next year, more specifically the first six months of 2025, will be crucial to define the Commission’s steel and metals action plan, the Clean Industrial Deal and to bring the  measures necessary to create the level playing field that we need for Europe, on track. It is not an exaggeration to say that the decisions that Europe and its member states will take next year, will decide on the future size of European industry and the steel industry”. 

Mr Van Poelvoorde also spoke positively about the recently proposed European Commissioner appointments, and what they mean for the industry:

“The mission of the proposed Commissioner for Prosperity and Industrial Policy, Mr. Stephane Séjourné, includes the development of a steel and metals action plan. This has never happened before, and we look forward to seeing the detailed plan to understand how it will support us. I am happy to hear that our cries for a new Industrial Deal for Europe seem to have been listened to and I will continue to advocate for strong, faster action to safeguard our industry against the threats it faces.

Indeed, there were many positive signs in the new European Commissioner nominations made last week. But these remain words on the page – an ambitious wish-list written at the start of a new mandate”.

Closing his speech, Mr Van Poelvoorde said that in light of the growth of protectionism around the world, and the world order coming under pressure, Europe has to define which role it wants to play in the future. “The understanding is now increasing that remaining an economic powerhouse is impossible without a strong industry and specifically, a strong steel industry. Decarbonising by de-industrialising is not a solution for Europe, not for the world and certainly not for the climate and our planet”.

Ends  

Notes to editors:

Photos show: Geert Van Poelvoorde speaking in Sosnowiec on 26 September, on the occasion of the 20^th anniversary of ArcelorMittal Poland; and 120metre-long rails produced at ArcelorMittal’s site in Dabrowa Gornicza.