EditGermany’s rulling socialists push for full EU ban on Russian steel imports
Steel plates, a raw material produced in Russia and processed by European manufacturers, have so far remained exempt from EU sanctions imposed
Germany’s ruling Social Democrats (SPD) are urging the European Union to impose a full ban on imports of Russian steel, arguing that continuing to allow Russian steel slabs into the European market undermines sanctions and threatens Europe’s industrial base.
Lars Klingbeil, Germany’s Vice Chancellor, Finance Minister, and leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), has called for tougher economic measures against Russia with a particular focus on banning imports of Russian crude steel and steel plates into Europe.
“Europe must immediately suspend imports of Russian crude steel or steel plates from Russia,” Klingbeil said ahead of Thursday’s steel industry summit, as quoted by Siol.net.
Steel plates, a raw material produced in Russia and processed by European manufacturers, have so far remained exempt from EU sanctions imposed since February 2022, when Vladimir Putin’s army invaded Ukraine.
“We cannot explain to any employee in our steel industry why the gates of the steel market in Europe are still wide open to Vladimir Putin,” Klingbeil added.
On Thursday, 6 November, German political and business leaders will gather in Berlin for a high-level “steel summit”. In preparation, the SPD has tabled a package of measures aimed at safeguarding industrial employment, including state aid, regulatory support to boost German and European production, and an end to Russian steel imports.
The SPD’s party board has endorsed Klingbeil’s call to halt Russian steel imports and adopted a resolution focused on protecting industrial jobs.
“We stand by open markets and rules-based trade. But we are not naive,” the document states, as quoted by ntv.de. “If others no longer play by the rules, we will not stand by idly.” The Social Democrats’ seven-point plan will be presented at Thursday’s steel summit, which will bring together representatives of the federal and state governments, alongside industry leaders, at the Chancellery.
Germany’s industrial base employs around eight million people, with about half working in steel-intensive sectors such as the car industry, according to the Steel Business Association. More than 80,000 people are directly employed in steel production.
Yet the sector is under mounting pressure: between 2019 and mid-2025, the number of industrial jobs fell by over 200,000, including more than 100,000 lost since the summer of 2024, half of them in the automotive industry.
To counter this decline, the SPD is calling for “targeted tariffs” and public procurement policies that prioritise domestic and European production.
The CDU, the party of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, has also called for higher tariffs on Chinese steel. However, though any decision on this rests with the European Commission. Relations with China remain tense, not only due to accusations of dumping, but also over Beijing’s ongoing support for Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“While we are fighting for the future of our steel industry in Europe, we continue to import steel products from Russia and thus fill the Russian war chest. This must be stopped immediately,” the SPD paper further states.
Klingbeil has reiterated his call for a “complete end to all steel imports from Russia.” Speaking to the dpa news agency, he said: “Steel slabs produced in Russia and further processed in the EU are still exempt from sanctions. We can’t explain to any employee in the steel industry why Europe still keeps the market open for Putin.”
Caption: General view of a blast furnace plant of the German steelmaker Thyssenkrupp in Duisburg, Germany, 12 November 2024. ThyssenKrupp Steel industrial conglomerate will release its annual balance sheet for the 2023/24 fiscal year on 19 November 2024. EPA/CHRISTOPHER NEUNDORF
Updated: November 4, 2025 - 06:42
