5 days ago
European steel sector on high alert amid slow-moving trade negotiation
The EU steel sector was on high alert on Wednesday following the implementation of 50% US tariffs on steel and aluminium, a move that might divert global steel imports formerly heading to the US towards the EU.
"With the doubling of US blanket tariffs on steel to 50% without exceptions, we expect massive deflection of the 27 million tonnes of steel previously destined for the US towards the European market,' director general of the European Steel Association (EUROFER) Axel Eggert warned in a statement.
'We are being flooded by cheap foreign steel,' he added, 'without swift action, we will not just be underwater — we will drown.'
Kerstin Maria Rippel, the chief executive of the German Steel Federation said the 50% tariffs marked 'a new level of escalation' in the EU-US trade conflict.
'A 50-percent tariff on steel exports is a massive burden on our industry, as it will increase pressure on an economy already in crisis and will impact our steel sector in multiple ways,' Rippel said.
On Monday, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order, which the White House shared on X, claiming that the rise of tariffs on steel and aluminium would 'provide greater support' to US industries, and would 'eliminate the national security threat' posed by imported steel and aluminium. Last March, Trump had re-established tariffs on steel and aluminium, which were initially imposed in 2018 and 2020 under his first mandate.
The steel sector has already been struggling with Chinese overcapacities flooding the EU market, but since the US imposed tariffs across the globe the bloc is facing overcapacities from multiple countries. Import penetration in the EU is up to 30% in 2025 in a context of depressed demand, Eggert claimed.
In Brussels, the pressure has intensified following Trump's increased tariffs at a time when the EU seeks to negotiate a resolution to its trade dispute with the US. 'The 50% tariffs have clearly not helped the negotiations at all,' said one EU diplomat.
On Wednesday, EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič acknowledged in an X post that the two sides 'are advancing in the right direction at pace', and are 'staying in close contact to maintain the momentum', following his meeting with his US counterpart, Jamieson Greer in Paris on the sidelines of an OECD trade ministerial.
But quizzed by journalists later in the day, Šefčovič said he 'strongly' regretted Trump's latest 50% tariffs on steel and aluminium, adding: 'It doesn't help, especially as we are making progress.'
A group of EU high-level experts, including Tomás Baert, trade advisor to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, has been in Washington since Monday to negotiate the technical details that could help the EU and the US break the deadlock.
Besides the 50% tariffs on steel and aluminium, the EU is also facing a 25% tariff on cars and a 10% levy on all other imports. The US also has launched several investigations into pharma, semiconductors and aircrafts that could lead to further tariffs. Trump has further threatened to impose a 50% tariff on all EU goods as of 9 July if the negotiations fail to meet his expectations.
The US and the EU exchanged proposals two weeks ago, but both sides have dismissed the other's offers. The EU offered a deal of zero-for-zero tariffs on all industrial goods and purchase of strategic products such as US energy, tech and agri-products, whereas the US expected the EU to review some of its regulations.
The infant mortality rate has increased in at least eight EU countries in 2024, according to the latest figures from the countries' national statistics offices.
The infant mortality rate refers to the number of deaths of children under one year of age per 1,000 live births.
In 2024, both France and Romania reported infant mortality rates surpassing the EU average of 3.3 deaths per 1,000 live births from 2023.
Romania experienced a significant rise in its rate, jumping from 2.1 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2023 to 6.4 in 2024.
This is followed by France, which saw the rate double from 2 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2023 to 4.1 deaths per 1,000 live births.
This means that one child out of 250 dies before the age of one in France, according to the French Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE).
Since 2015, France's infant mortality rate has consistently been higher than the EU average.
Boys are 1.2 times more likely than girls to die before the age of one and twins or triplets are five times more at risk than any other children.
Between 2023 and 2024, Portugal experienced a 20% increase in infant mortality rates, a trend that deviates from the country's overall mortality rate.
The causes behind this trend are not clear, but several factors may contribute, including the increasing age of mothers, an increase in multiple pregnancies and geographic inequality of access to maternal health care, according to health experts.
On the other hand, Latvia and Sweden have the lowest infant mortality rate in the EU.
Currently, Lithuania, Ireland, Luxembourg, Denmark and Slovenia only have estimated numbers.
2024 was a year marked by health staff shortages and the closure of some maternity hospitals in countries like Portugal, Germany and France.
During the summer of 2024, 10 Portuguese maternity wards were closed or with restrictions.
This followed the government's presentation of a Health Emergency and Transformation Plan to be implemented in three months to guarantee general access to healthcare.
In the past decade in France, 15% of small maternity units have closed.
Over the past two decades, the number of doctors and nurses per capita has increased substantially in most EU countries.
However, the workforce is ageing and interest in health careers among young people is declining due to low salaries and poor working conditions.
