U.S. Senators Thom Tillis (R-Cornelius, NC), Joe Manchin (D-WV), and Todd Young (R-IN) urged U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai to engage with the EU to prevent the adoption of the European Commission’s proposed restrictions on the trade of steel scrap. Those measures would negatively impact the global competitiveness of American steel producers through unwarranted restrictions on steel scrap exports.
“As you may know, the EC introduced a proposal to amend its Waste Shipment Regulations, which would restrict EU exports of steel scrap to both member and non-member countries of the OECD. While the proposal ostensibly seeks to further environmental goals, it fails to meaningfully distinguish between problematic (e.g., plastics) and non-problematic (e.g., steel scrap) waste. The EC proposal would also establish burdensome monitoring and reporting requirements for scrap exports,” the Senators wrote in part. “Such measures would distort global scrap markets and steel supply chains, increasing costs and reducing the supply of scrap for American steel producers.” Photo credit: Pixabay