Social Democrat and MEP Dan Nica requested on Wednesday, within an European debate, urgent and concrete measures to support the steel industry, expressing concern in respect to the efficiency and accessibility of the Competitiveness Fund recently proposed by the European Commission, according to a press release from the MEP's office.
Within the discussion, MEP Dan Nica, the leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) in the European Parliament underscored the serious situation of the steel plant in Galati, but also the closing of another plant in Romania, the one in Hunedoara, calling for swift measures from the European Competitiveness Fund in order to save the steel industry.
"Mr. Séjourné, you presented a proposal that sounds very interesting: a competitiveness fund. Often, the measures taken by the European Commission and adjusted with our help, the MEPs, have proven difficult to access or come too late. In Romania, in the past two weeks, two steel plants have faced major problems. One in Hunedoara has closed, and the other in Galati, the largest and only one remaining active in Central and Eastern Europe, unfortunately, has stopped operating. With this competitiveness fund, do you have an implementation accelerator to ensure these measures are taken in time for the European industry to survive? Will these measures be simplified so that the access can be made faster?," Dan Nica asked Executive Vice-President of the European Commission Stéphane Séjourné.
Dan Nica warned of the risk that the Competitiveness Fund could become difficult to access if all existing financial mechanisms are brought under the same structure.
"We take this competitiveness fund very seriously. We have doubts about putting all the funds under the same umbrella. We don't believe that this was the best decision, however this is the proposal we have before us. What assurance can you give and what are the clear and precise ideas that this fund will reach the necessary fund?," MEP Dan Nica stated.
Executive Vice-President of the European Commission Stéphane Séjourné confirmed that he will speed up the procedures within the Commission so that safeguard measures in the steel industry will be effectively implemented as of June 2026.
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