Climate Policy Engagement Analysis
Climate Policy Engagement Overview: The European Steel Association (Eurofer) is strategically engaged and exhibits both supportive and oppositional engagement with science-aligned climate policy. Despite supporting some ambitious climate action in its top-line messaging, Eurofer consistently engages negatively on key EU climate legislation, including the Emissions Trading System and the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. The association’s advocacy on circular economy policy and the energy transition included some positive engagement.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: Eurofer takes a mix of positive and negative positions in its top-line messaging on climate policy. The association consistently stated support for the EU’s 2050 climate neutrality target, for example in December 2024 joint recommendations. Eurofer consistently supported the EU-US Global Arrangement on Sustainable Steel, for example in a November 2023 position paper on the 2024-29 EU policy agenda. However, the association’s general advocacy on the need for climate regulation appeared to be broadly negative in 2023-25. Eurofer repeatedly advocated for EU policymakers to avoid implementing detailed regulation following EU climate targets, for example in the February 2024 Antwerp Declaration. In its European Steel Action Plan, published in November 2024, the association supported the EU Clean Industrial Deal while stressing the need to protect industrial competitiveness, and without clarifying how this would impact the climate ambition of existing legislation. InfluenceMap did not detect a recent position on the UN Paris Agreement.
Engagement with Climate-Related Policies: Eurofer appears to have predominantly negative engagement with EU climate policies. The association remained actively engaged with the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) and the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) between 2023-25, and largely advocated against reform measures to strengthen the policies from a climate perspective. Eurofer did not support reducing indirect cost compensation in the EU ETS in December 2024 joint recommendations, and Director General Axel Eggert did not support reducing the number of free allowances in the policy in September 2024. Eurofer supports the EU CBAM with major exceptions, having consistently advocated to include export rebates for steel in the policy, a position which is misaligned with the EU Commission’s original climate ambition. For example, Director General Axel Eggert emphasized the need to ‘preserve the competitiveness of EU steel exports’ in a February 2025 press release. The association also supported export rebates in its November 2024 Steel Action Plan.
Eurofer advocated to weaken the EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED) in a position paper in May 2024, by calling for a longer delay in applying the additionality principle to existing hydrogen production facilities and highlighting economic concerns if stricter rules came into force after 2028. In a February 2025 joint statement, the association did not appear to support the RED Delegated Act on renewable hydrogen, by advocating for a technology-neutral approach.
In its November 2024 Steel Action Plan, Eurofer supported GHG emissions standards such as labelling systems to create lead markets for green steel. Director General Axel Eggert did not appear to support the EU Commission’s proposal of a 2040 GHG reductions target of 90% in February 2024, emphasizing technical feasibility and impacts on international competitiveness.
Positioning on Circular Economy-Related Policies: Eurofer is broadly supportive of circular economy legislation, albeit with exceptions. The association supported increasing the use of steel scrap, for example in its April 2024 Stronger with EU Steel campaign. Eurofer also repeatedly supported provisions related to recycling of critical raw materials in the EU Critical Raw Materials Act, for example in its November 2024 Steel Action Plan. However, the association consistently promoted a weakening of the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation in 2023, including by advocating for exemptions for the steel packaging sector from reuse obligations in EU feedback comments in April 2023.
Positioning on Energy Transition: Eurofer has communicated support for the energy transition, although with significant exceptions. In a March 2024 position paper and as part of its Stronger with EU Steel campaign in April 2024, Eurofer stated support for measures to decarbonize the steel industry, including fossil-free power generation and the expansion of electricity grids. However, Eurofer’s Director General Axel Eggert emphasized economic challenges of the industry transition in the association’s 2024 Annual Report, and appeared to support the continuation of coking coal for steel production in a Hydrogen Insight article in April 2024. The association consistently advocated for a weaker definition of low-carbon hydrogen in the EU Hydrogen and Gas Decarbonisation Package Delegated Act than proposed by the EU Commission, for example in a June 2024 joint statement. In a February 2025 joint statement, Eurofer advocated for a technology-neutral approach to the Act, a position which contradicts the EU Commission’s policy ambition.
InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the association’s scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically. This summary was last updated in Q2 2025.