The European Commission has set itself some ambitious goals. Within ten years it aims to reduce CO2 emissions by 55 per cent, and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

Opinions in this country on toughening the requirements for reducing emissions by 2030 and on the need for changes in industry, especially power and energy, to limit pollution of the atmosphere, were discussed on December 6 by specialists attending the conference entitled Decarbonization of the Slovakian Economy.

The keynote message from Eurofer is that steel producers will be able to reduce emissions to the required level by 2050, but the result will be a substantial increase in their costs and ultimately then also in steel prices, which the market will have to accept. It is precisely the steel and power industries which will have to invest the most into reducing emissions. They will therefore need resources and support in their transition to new technologies, and above all the guarantee of equal commercial conditions compared to the competitors outside the European Union, who do not have to bear the costs of the environmental regulatory measures. In his contribution on this issue, U. S. Steel Košice President Jim Bruno stated that one of the possibilities of ensuring equal commercial conditions for European steel producers would be to introduce a so-called “carbon tariff” for importers. He also emphasized that as the most energy-intensive branch of the economy, industry must have supplies of energy which are fininacially affordable, and he identified close cooperation with research and development and with specialists in the field of innovation as a crucial component in adapting industry to carbon-free technologies.