European Aluminium applauds EU, Japan and U.S. agreement to tackle excess capacities collectively
Date
13 Dec 2017
Brussels, 13 December 2017- Yesterday, Cecilia Malmström, European Commissioner for Trade, Hiroshige Seko, Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry and Ambassador Robert E. Lighthizer, U.S. Trade Representative, agreed to strengthen trilateral cooperation in the WTO and other forums in order to battle unfair trade. European Aluminium, the voice of the entire aluminium value chain, welcomes the new commitment.
“The issue of severe excess capacity in key sectors exacerbated by government support was highlighted by important trade authorities. This recognition is great news for our industry as aluminium is one of the sectors affected by government-supported capacity expansion and unfair competitive conditions caused by market-distorting subsidies,” comments Gerd Götz, director General of European Aluminium.
Since 2016, European Aluminium has been campaigning for a global negotiated solution to tackle the root causes of excess capacities.
“We hope this very timely trilateral agreement will urge G7 and G20 leaders to finally provide a collective response to the aluminium sector by creating a Global Forum on aluminium excess capacity. A Global Forum could help define what excess capacity entails, increase transparent information sharing, and enhance cooperation,” concludes Götz.
About European Aluminium:
European Aluminium, founded in 1981, is the association that represents the whole value chain of the aluminium industry in Europe. We actively engage with decision-makers and the wider stakeholder community to promote the outstanding properties of aluminium, secure growth and optimise the contribution our metal can make to meeting Europe’s sustainability challenges. Through environmental and technical expertise, economic and statistical analysis, scientific research, education and sharing of best practices, public affairs and communication activities, European Aluminium promotes the use of aluminium as a permanent material that is part of the solution to achieving sustainable goals, while maintaining and improving the image of the industry, of the material and of its applications among their stakeholders.
For further information, please contact:
communications@european-aluminium.eu, +32 2 775 63 63
communications@european-aluminium.eu, +32 2 775 63 63