Riegel/Brussels, 9 January 2025 – In a formal submission to the European Commission, the Gerber Group has called for an immediate end to the current EU Safeguard Measure on certain steel products, denouncing it as a politically driven tool that undermines the competitiveness of Europe’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Safeguard Review: Gerber Group Demands End to EU’s Protectionism Against SMEs
“For years, the EU’s Safeguard regime has protected an oligopoly of large steel corporations at the expense of millions of SMEs,” said Thorsten Gerber, CEO of the Gerber Group. “It has failed to protect fair competition, distorted trade flows, and contributed significantly to the inflation of steel prices — all while ignoring economic reality.”
Citing official data and recent findings by the EU’s Joint Research Centre, the Gerber Group highlights:
- EU stainless steel production cannot meet market demand — the EU is structurally reliant on imports for at least 25% of its needs.
- Domestic steel producers themselves are now among the largest importers of stainless steel slabs and nickel pig iron from countries they once lobbied against.
- Imports of stainless scrap and ingots have surged, showing how EU producers exploit loopholes while SMEs remain trapped in punitive anti-circumvention rules.
Key demands by the Gerber Group include:
- Immediate quota redistribution and liberalization of stainless steel imports from countries like Taiwan.
- Priority access for SMEs over vertically integrated EU steel giants.
- A full reopening of all trade defense decisions on stainless steel.
- A binding commitment to end Safeguard measures after 8 years, in line with WTO rules.
“This is not a market economy — it’s institutionalized protectionism. It’s time the Commission stopped defending oligopolies and started defending Europe’s SMEs,” Gerber concluded.
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