Following the debate this morning in the European Parliament, S&D Group president Gianni Pittella said:
 
"The S&D Group is against granting Market Economy Status to China for a simple reason: China, despite the huge efforts it has made, is not yet a market economy. The widespread and persistent social, climate and industrial dumping that China undertakes would put in danger not only the future of the European steel sector but that of the whole European manufacturing industry. Millions of jobs and a fundamental share of European GDP are at stake.
 
"It is our duty at this time to pay attention and to listen to the protests and concerns coming from millions of European workers. As a precautionary principle, we must stop this. We don't want to be responsible for a historic mistake."