The German government faces mounting pressure from within the center-right European Parliament to endorse the European Commission’s proposed tariffs on Chinese steel imports ahead of a critical summit scheduled for this Thursday at the Chancellery. CDU MEP Dennis Radtke has publicly criticized the previous government’s approach, asserting that “analyses and photo opportunities” have proven insufficient to address the challenges posed by unfair competition from China. He insists the upcoming summit necessitates a firm commitment from Berlin to support the Commission’s trade policy package.
The proposed measures, which would significantly curtail duty-free imports and levy a 50% tariff on Chinese steel exceeding current volumes, are viewed by CDU parliamentarians as a vital step in safeguarding the viability of Europe’s steel industry. Radtke specifically highlighted the need to confront what he deemed to be a fundamentally unbalanced playing field.
Christian Ehler, another CDU MEP, echoed this urgency, emphasizing the summit’s potential to deliver tangible results for the German steel sector. Ehler’s statement articulated a dual requirement: immediate, rescue-oriented measures alongside a long-term strategic plan for securing European steel’s future competitiveness. He further underscored the importance of financial support for an industrial electricity price, directly linking this to an acknowledgement of the previous government’s shortcomings in energy policy, which he suggested had contributed to the current precarious situation within the sector.
The impending summit represents a pivotal moment for the German government, forcing a decisive stance on whether to fully embrace the EU Commission’s proposed tariffs and whether to allocate the necessary fiscal resources to bolster the industry’s resilience, effectively admitting past policy missteps and actively shifting course amid escalating geopolitical tensions and concerns over European industrial sovereignty. The debate highlights the broader tension between free trade principles and the need to protect strategic industries from potentially destabilizing international competition.