Riegel, 23 September 2025 – The Gerber Group strongly warns against the introduction of the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) on 1 January 2026. In three official statements to the European Commission, the company criticizes the serious gaps in methodology and the absence of benchmark and default values necessary for the legally secure calculation of CBAM costs. It calls for an immediate suspension, or at least a postponement of the start by 12 to 24 months.
CBAM is immature and endangers thousands of companies
CBAM is intended to ensure that imported goods such as steel, aluminium or cement are subject to the same CO2 costs as products from the EU. However, according to the Gerber Group, the instrument is immature and endangers thousands of companies:
Missing calculation bases for CBAM costs
Missing calculation bases: Neither the necessary benchmark values nor default values currently exist as a legally reliable basis for calculating CBAM costs. This leads to significant legal and planning uncertainties for all companies affected by CBAM.
According to a response from Wopke Hoekstra, European Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth, to a written question from the European Parliament, the new EU ETS benchmarks – which are to serve as the basis for CBAM benchmarks – are not expected before the first half of 2026. In addition, the study for the design of the CBAM default values is not scheduled for completion until mid-2026.
High economic risks
High economic risks: As early as 2026, companies would face multi-billion euro burdens, which could neither be planned for in advance nor known in amount, and which would only fall due retroactively in 2027. For the European steel sector alone, these back payments in CBAM taxes could amount to as much as EUR 6.8 billion in the worst case.
Distortion of competition
Distortion of competition: Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are particularly disadvantaged, as they are left alone to cope with the bureaucratic burden and are expected to shoulder the largest share of CBAM taxes. At the same time, large corporations continue to benefit from subsidies and free EU ETS certificates, which are not available to SMEs.
Gerber Group’s demands
- Immediate suspension or postponement of CBAM until all open questions are clarified and the nearly 1,800 values (EU ETS benchmarks, CBAM benchmarks and default values) for calculating CO2 emissions and CBAM costs are legally binding.
- Abolition of free EU ETS allocations at the start of CBAM in order to create equal competitive conditions.
- Transfer of the development of a fair, global CO2 pricing system to the World Trade Organization (WTO).
“The CBAM tax in its current form is not a climate protection instrument but an existential threat to the European economy,” said Thorsten Gerber, CEO of the Gerber Group. “Instead of a hasty introduction of CBAM, we now need clear signals from Brussels. The Commission must immediately acknowledge its mistake and finally take the concerns of its own economy seriously. The best way to do this is to put an immediate stop to this regulatory and bureaucratic madness.”
Gerber Group Statements on
- Carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) methodology for the definitive period starting on 1 January 2026
- CBAM certificates – adjustment of obligation to surrender them to take account of free ETS allowances
- Carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) – carbon price paid in a third country
Your press contact
Björn Kammeyer
Head of Marketing Gerber Group
Phone: +49 7642 9282851
Mail: pr@steelnews.biz
We at the Gerber Group have been trading in stainless steel worldwide for over 20 years. We are your experts when it comes to purchasing, import, logistics and services. Information is a vital part of this. Because only then can you and we make the right decisions. Do you have any questions? Contact us now.
Disclaimer: Many things here represent our opinion. Others are information from the Internet. We can therefore never claim to be correct or complete. And never base a business decision solely on the news you receive from us.
