15 September 2025 – In recent years, EU steel mills have been able to increase their turnover by more than 50%, while producing less and less crude steel. At the same time, with their excessive trade defense demands, they are putting their own customers under increasing pressure. Metals start the week stable.
Stable start of the week for metals
Asian metal prices started the week on Monday in a stable manner. Tin, zinc, aluminum, and copper moved sideways today, nickel managed to improve slightly by just over 1.0%, and lead rose between 1.2 – 1.7% depending on the contract. Iron ore prices on the Singapore Exchange (SGX) also started the week stable and were able to maintain their price level from last Friday.
EU steel mills: turnover increase of 50%
European steel mills have managed to increase their turnover by more than 50% over the past 10 years, despite a continuous decline in domestic crude steel production. This is once again shown by the data of the European steel lobby.
But while the large steel corporations are posting record turnovers and already enjoying exaggerated trade protection, they constantly cry out for even more protectionism.
Important SME market participants under pressure
At the same time, however, their customers are being squeezed, as the increasing reports in recent months of bankruptcies among trading companies show. Yet it is precisely these trading companies that Europe’s processing SMEs urgently need in order to purchase at competitive prices.
Commission endangers SMEs with its industrial policy
This once again highlights the one-sidedness of the European Commission’s industrial policy stance in recent years. And it is also evident in current developments, such as the EU Clean Industrial Deal. In this package of measures, the Commission foresees almost 100 billion euros in aid for large corporations, while SMEs are to receive a mere 500 million euros in support. In other words: while large corporations are to receive €1302 per employee, the Commission values SME employees at just €6.
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