The Spanish Aluminium Association (AEA) has held a meeting with the Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu, to review the situation the sector is experiencing in Europe and to convey to the Executive its "growing concern" about the risks arising from the conflict in the Middle East, as communicated this Thursday by the organization itself.
The meeting, held within the framework of the AEA's General Assembly, served for the employers' association to warn of the "impact" that the "deterioration" of the situation in the Middle East, coupled with the suspension of maritime routes crossing the Strait of Hormuz, is causing on the sector's activity.
The association detailed that, currently, close to 23% of Spanish primary aluminum purchases originate in the Persian Gulf, while "restrictions" linked to the "sanctioning regime" on the Russian Federation continue to significantly affect national supply.
Overall, the volume of aluminum subject to prohibitions or exposed to possible supply cuts has reached 218,372 tons, which represents more than 32% of the total Spanish primary aluminum imports.
"Europe cannot aspire to true industrial strategic autonomy while maintaining such a dependence on external markets subject to increasing geopolitical tension," said the president of the AEA, Felipe Quintá.
In parallel, the employers' association has expressed its "concern" about the consequences that the current design of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) could have on the competitiveness of the European aluminum processing industry.
Alert over Turkish imports of Russian and Iranian aluminum
In this context, the association has paid special attention to the "increase" in Turkish imports of Russian and Iranian aluminum. "The Spanish industry fully shares the decarbonization and energy transition objectives of the European Union, but we need regulatory instruments that do not generate counterproductive effects," explained the general secretary of the AEA, Gonzalo de Olabarria.
Therefore, the organization has called for the implementation of measures aimed at strengthening European industrial resilience, ensuring competitive access to essential raw materials, and avoiding regulatory distortions that "aggravate" the situation of the Spanish processing industry.
The Spanish Aluminum Association has also expressed its gratitude to Minister Jordi Hereu and his team for the willingness shown during the meeting.