The Spanish Aluminium Association (AEA), an entity representing more than 650 companies in the sector, has met with the Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu, and representatives of the main companies in the aluminum producing and transforming industry in Spain
The objective of the high-level meeting, held yesterday afternoon, was to analyze the current situation facing the sector in Europe and to convey to the Government the Association's growing concern about the risks threatening supply security and industrial competitiveness.
The meeting, which took place in the context of the Association's recently held General Assembly, allowed participants to delve into the main strategic challenges affecting the aluminum value chain at a time marked by international geopolitical instability, European dependence on external markets, and increasing trade distortions.
During the meeting, the AEA warned of the vulnerability currently faced by the European Union regarding the supply of primary aluminum. According to the latest Eurostat data, the EU-27 imported a total of 5.82 million tons of primary aluminum in 2024, compared to a marginal export of 0.26 million tons, consolidating a very high dependence on external sources to supply the European transforming industry.
In this regard, the Association has conveyed to the Minister the impact that the deterioration of the situation in the Middle East is having on the international market, and especially, the operational interruption of part of the Persian Gulf producers following the escalation of military hostilities that began last March. The suspension of maritime routes through the Strait of Hormuz, the paralysis of operations at Qatalum (Qatar), the declaration of Force Majeure by Aluminium Bahrain (ALBA), and the forecasts of Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) to delay by up to one year the full recovery of its Al Taweelah plant, currently place more than six million tons of capacity linked to the international supply of primary aluminum at extreme risk.
The AEA has warned that this situation particularly affects Spain. Currently, almost 23% of Spanish primary aluminum imports come from the Persian Gulf, while restrictions derived from the sanctions regime on the Russian Federation continue to condition another large part of the national supply. In total, the volume of aluminum subject to prohibitions or risk of interruption reaches 218,372 tons, which represents more than 32% of the total Spanish primary aluminum imports.
The President of the AEA, Felipe Quintá, pointed out after the meeting that "Europe cannot aspire to true industrial strategic autonomy while maintaining such a dependence on external markets subject to growing geopolitical tension." "We are facing a problem of industrial security and productive resilience. The European processing industry needs guarantees of stable and competitive access to strategic raw materials such as aluminum to preserve industrial capacity, employment, and economic independence," he stressed.
During the meeting, the Association also conveyed its concern about the impact that the current design of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) may have on the competitiveness of the European aluminum processing industry. The AEA has warned that, in the current geopolitical circumstances, the mechanism runs the risk of favoring commercial triangulation processes and unfair competition through third countries. In particular, the Association has focused on the increase in Turkish imports of Russian and Iranian aluminum. In this regard, the Secretary General of the AEA, Gonzalo de Olabarria, emphasized that "the Spanish industry fully shares the European Union's decarbonization and energy transition objectives, but regulatory instruments are needed that do not generate counterproductive effects, nor facilitate commercial evasion practices."
The Association has finally called for the adoption of measures aimed at strengthening European industrial resilience, ensuring competitive access to key raw materials, and avoiding regulatory distortions that aggravate the situation of the Spanish processing industry.
Likewise, the Spanish Aluminium Association thanks Minister Jordi Hereu and his team for the disposition shown during the meeting and their willingness to maintain direct and permanent dialogue with the sector at a time of particular complexity for the industry. The AEA very positively values the Ministry's active listening to the concerns raised by the participating companies and highlights the importance of reinforcing the collaboration channels of all agents with the Administration to advance in solutions that contribute to preserving the competitiveness, industrial capacity, and supply security of the aluminium sector in Spain. "We very positively value the Ministry's disposition to maintain an open and constructive dialogue with the entire aluminium value chain," concluded the President of the AEA.