Source: European Parliament
23.10.2025
Question for written answer E-004184/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Benedetta Scuderi (Verts/ALE), Saskia Bricmont (Verts/ALE), Cristina Guarda (Verts/ALE), Lena Schilling (Verts/ALE), Majdouline Sbai (Verts/ALE), Nikos Pappas (The Left), Christine Singer (Renew), Giorgio Gori (S&D), Letizia Moratti (PPE), Sara Matthieu (Verts/ALE), Annalisa Corrado (S&D), Thomas Pellerin-Carlin (S&D), Sirpa Pietikäinen (PPE), David Cormand (Verts/ALE), Anthony Smith (The Left), Bas Eickhout (Verts/ALE), Marina Mesure (The Left), Damien Carême (The Left), Raphaël Glucksmann (S&D)
Under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR)[1], the Joint Research Centre is conducting a preparatory study on iron and steel products, in advance of a possible delegated act in the future. The study assesses the environmental performance of steelmaking to define its performance and information requirements, including methods for labelling embodied carbon and creating performance classes to promote low-carbon steel markets.
Meanwhile, the forthcoming industrial decarbonisation accelerator act is expected to introduce voluntary labels for intermediate products, starting with steel. Among the labelling methodologies that were evaluated, the sliding-scale approach has emerged as the preferred option. However, indexing performance thresholds to scrap content risks penalising scrap use and discouraging circularity in steelmaking.
- 1.What measures is the Commission taking to ensure coherence between the industrial decarbonisation accelerator act’s labelling framework and the ongoing standardisation of intermediate products under the ESPR?
- 2.Is the Commission aware that the sliding scale disproportionately and uncompetitively benefits primary steelmaking, discourages scrap use and is bound to increase production costs?
- 3.Does the Commission recognise that the sliding-scale approach undermines the competitiveness of EU secondary steelmakers, who already rely on scrap, by incentivising greater use of primary raw materials, thereby raising emissions and costs?
Submitted: 23.10.2025
- [1] OJ L, 2024/1781, 28.6.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1781/oj.