The letter points out that there are 250.000 direct and over 1 million connected to the industry and that aluminium is an essential material for the transition to a low carbon economy.
The letter contains three demands:
1. Cost compensation measures must address at EU level the sector’s inability to pass through EU ETS indirect costs embedded into electricity prices which for the aluminium sector are six times higher than direct costs.
2. To preserve the competitiveness of our industry beyond 2020, free allocations for ETS direct costs must be continued beyond the due expiration date of 2020 for the most exposed sectors.
3. The European Commission should provide legal certainty on the state aid and compensation measures for energy-intensive-industries – such as those subject to global market prices – from the costs of energy support schemes and for enabling long term energy supply contracts which are vital to attracting and maintaining investments in the aluminium sector.
The letter points out that due to high energy prices and the unilateral cost burden of EU climate and energy policies, European producers’ ability to compete is crippled. This would lead to a decline of production in Europe at an alarming rate.
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