McIntyre: We back UK Steel on EU action

West Midland MEP Anthea McIntyre has backed a call by UK Steel for urgent action from Brussels to help the industry. UK Steel director Gareth Stace yesterday said Europe-wide measures were now needed to tackle the dumping of cheap steel onto the market, particularly from China He was speaking following publication of the Commons Business, Innovation and Skills Committee's report into the crisis in the sector. Miss McIntyre, Conservative employment spokesman in the European Parliament, is a client of Furbisher Media. She

said Mr Stace's comments backed up the vigorous campaign by Conservative MEPs to get the European Commission to make greater use of existing anti-dumping duties against countries such as China to stem the tide of cheap imports. She said: "We have been saying for weeks that steel needs realistic and practical help - not fanciful plans such as some sort of carbon tariff. That kind of thing is never going going to become law and could backfire badly." Last week the European Parliament, with the support of Labour MEPs, approved a report calling for the introduction of a complex system of border measures on imported steel, aluminium and other metals based on the amount of carbon emitted during their production. This approach is not backed by the steel industry and Conservative MEPs argue it would be impossible to implement, may be illegal under World Trade Organisation rules and could prompt damaging protectionist retaliation from the Chinese, hitting a range of sectors. Miss McIntyre said: "The workers whose jobs are threatened in the West Midlands don't need distractions - they need robust, effective anti-dumping measures that allow our own steel sector a fighting chance.

"The established rules allow the European Union to impose anti-dumping duties. The Commission just needs to get on with it."

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