The Act responds to intensifying geopolitical pressures, growing dependencies in critical value chains, and declining EU industrial competitiveness.
Outokumpu welcomes the proposal to increase the demand for clean products, protect economic security, and speed up decarbonization in strategic sectors such as energyintensive industries. The Industrial Accelerator Act signals a decisive shift toward aindustrial and trade strategy that integrates climate policy with industrial competitiveness.
Outokumpu strongly supports the proposal to introduce European preference in public procurement and the Made-in-EU requirement. They ensure that public procurement drives demand for low‑carbon, EU‑produced materials rather than subsidizing imported emissions, support Europe’s strategic autonomy and strengthen Europe’s industrial base. Resilient domestic steel industry is essential for renewable energy infrastructure, hydrogen and electrification systems, transport and mobility, construction, and defense and security. Outokumpu also strongly welcomes the definition of steel among the strategic sectors.
Outokumpu urges the Commission further to:
- Introduce an EU low-carbon steel label to enable manufacturers to demonstrate greenhouse gas performance and help buyers to choose cleaner materials with confidence.
- Introduce a low-carbon criteria also for stainless steel – considering the differences in manufacturing processes and the high amount of supply chain emissions requires its own criteria.
- Expand the Made-in-EU requirement to also include steel – excluding components containing steel from the European preference can result to high-emission steel parts imported to Europe and assembled into end-products.
The Industrial Accelerator Act provides the tools and direction to defend and strengthen the industries that support the EU’s strategic autonomy. It is indeed a welcome tool needed to protect the EU’s industrial base and to safeguard the EU’s competitiveness.
