The German and European aluminum industry is looking with concern at the European Commission's upcoming decision on whether the safeguard duties on rolled aluminum products from China will remain suspended. Dr. Hinrich Mählmann, President of Aluminium Germany (AD), emphasizes: "The European Commission has introduced the anti-dumping duties because it too has not overlooked the fact that Chinese companies have been able to offer products on the European market on very unequal competitive terms. This jeopardizes the existence of European locations. Nothing has changed to this day. In addition, these imports are at odds with German and European climate protection goals, as aluminum produced in China has a three times higher CO2 footprint than aluminum from Europe."
With a production of two million tons, Germany is by far the largest production location for rolled aluminium products in Europe and covers around a third of European demand. At one and a half million tons, Germany is also the largest European market for rolled products, with corresponding upstream and downstream stages of the value chain. Aluminum is at the beginning of various industrial supply chains, which are particularly important for the German economy.
The European Commission's announcement to suspend the safeguard measures has already led to a massive increase in imports from China. Imports have already reached new highs in spring 2022. Dr. Mählmann: "The aluminium industry is not afraid of competition, on the contrary. Our companies are globally successful thanks to their high level of innovation, the highest quality standards, their commitment to climate protection and a longstanding partnership with customer industries. But massively distorted supply conditions such as those in China are leading us further and further away from our trading partners' claim of a level playing field in terms of trade policy."
Especially in view of the enormous transformation efforts of European industries, the suspension of anti-dumping duties is incomprehensible. Marius Baader, Managing Director of AD, says: "Aluminium is a strategic material for the decarbonization of the continent. Both the German government and the European Commission have emphasized in recent months the necessary independence of European industries from just a few, very dominant trading partners. A continued suspension of the urgently needed protective tariffs is diametrically opposed to this."
The partnerships between the aluminum industry and customer industries in Europe, which have grown over decades, are a success factor in achieving climate neutrality. Dr. Mählmann: "The proximity of the industries to each other is an important key to change. There are already a large number of closed-loop cycles, especially for rolled aluminum products, which can serve as good examples for the transformation of the entire industry."
Against this backdrop, Aluminium Germany is warning against a further suspension of anti-dumping duties on rolled products from China.
