"Those who buy steel will demand from the producers that it is sustainably produced steel, green steel," said the SPD candidate for chancellor on Tuesday in Duisburg during a visit to a Thyssenkrupp steelworks. He rejected doubts expressed by the CDU/CSU chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz about a rapid switch to green steel. "If you want to establish steel production that is CO2-neutral, you have to start now," he said. The decisions need to be made now, which is why the German government is supporting the conversion with billions of euros. "It would be against the interests of all steelworkers in Germany if we were to end the process we have started to convert production to CO2-neutral steel." This is the basis for future viability. Scholz referred to the wishes of the automotive industry, as well as other major customers, who want their products to be CO2-neutral in the future. In order to secure steel production, companies would have to be able to work with gas first and then with hydrogen in the long term.
As the entire steel industry in the EU is facing the same challenges, he proposed a steel summit at European level. Alluding to China, Scholz said that Europeans would have to stand together against dumping products. "This can only be tackled together, including through the customs policy that is possible for the EU," he emphasized. This will be particularly important if American policy "moves towards Europe with tariffs". Scholz emphasized: "We will then be able to act and also want to protect steel production in Europe together." The Chancellor had repeatedly criticized the EU Commission in recent months for imposing punitive tariffs on the import of e-cars produced in China, but not taking care to protect the steel industry.
(Report by Christian Krämer, Matthias Inverardi, Andreas Rinke, Tom Käckenhoff edited by Kerstin Dörr. If you have any questions, please contact our editorial team at berlin.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (for politics and the economy) or frankfurt.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (for companies and markets).