EU minister agree to hold emergency meeting after business secretary Sajid Javid calls for summit on steel crisis
European Union ministers have agreed to hold an emergency meeting over the steel crisis within two weeks.
Business secretary Sajid Javid called for an EU-wide steel summit during meetings with EU commissioners in Brussels yesterday, saying that "severe pressures" on the European steel sector required "urgent action".
Javid said today: “I am determined this council leads to swift action, not just a talking shop.”
Yesterday, Prime Minister David Cameron told MPs that the government would offset energy costs for British steel companies following EU approval.
During Prime Minister's Questions, Cameron said: “On energy costs I can announce today that we will refund energy intensive industry for the full amount of policy costs they face as soon as we get the state aid judgment from Brussels.”
Gareth Stace, director of UKSteel, welcomed the announcement, saying it "reflects the urgency of the situation the sector is facing".