A New Action Plan for the steel sector in Europe presented by the European Commission (EC) is in Slovakia's interests. Vice-president of the European Commission Maroš Šefčovič and Economy Ministry State Secretary Pavol Pavlis said on Thursday; “production in the steel industry is growing, but outside the EU - in Russia, Ukraine and Turkey.
Therefore, the European Union intends to take measures in order to make the steel industry competitive with that outside the EU area. This is of great importance for the Slovak steel industry as well,” said Pavlis. “The key aspect will be an analysis of how we can push energy prices in Europe down, which is a vital factor in maintaining the competitiveness of European industry,” said Šefčovič, referring to the fact that due to the shale gas revolution in the U.S.A., energy prices are three times lower in America. They are four times lower in China due to lower environmental standards. “The European Union sees Slovakia as an important industrial country with a strong steel industry,” said Šefčovič.
