Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-002330/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Fernand Kartheiser (NI)
On 7 May 2018, the Commission approved the acquisition of ILVA by ArcelorMittal, provided that ArcelorMittal sold a number of its sites, including one in Luxembourg. The Luxembourg site was then taken over by LIBERTY Steel, which went bankrupt a few years later.
Recently, a Turkish group that was interested in taking over the site decided not to go ahead after all, citing the safeguards on imports of steel products from third countries and the EU’s decision to cut import quotas, as those conditions would limit the group’s opportunities to secure supplies from Türkiye and Algeria.
As a result, more than 130 jobs are on the line.
- 1.What lessons has the Commission drawn from the problems caused by its decision to force ArcelorMittal to sell off some of its sites, and would it take the same decision today?
- 2.How does the Commission intend to protect European industry if restrictive measures limit foreign investors’ access to the internal market?
- 3.Shouldn’t the Commission reassess the balance of its policy, which, on the one hand, aims to protect the European market against excessive exports from certain third countries, but on the other hand is preventing investment that is crucial for the survival of some of our companies?
Submitted: 11.6.2025