With respect to the announcement of higher customs duties on imports from Ukraine, below are fresh data on imports of cement from outside the EU, including Ukraine.
This applies to Poland, which is inactive the subject of public debate, but besides to another EU countries. According to the Cement Producers Association (SPC) in 2024. Ukraine has sent more than 1.7 million tonnes of cement to the EU, not only to our country, but besides to Romania, Slovakia and Hungary, and the import scale is expanding by up to 100% all year.
"Is cement production in the EU coming to an end?"
During the seminar "Is cement production in the EU coming to an end?", the European Parliament presented a scale of challenges to be addressed by this sector in Poland and Europe. These are not only rising imports from outside the EU, advanced energy prices and CO2 emanation allowances, but besides decarbonisation, peculiarly the implementation of CCS. Polish MEPs, representatives of the European Commission (DG Clima, DG Energy) and the Permanent Representation of Poland to the European Union participated in the discussion.
Currently, 1 of the main threats is the import of cement from outside the European Union – it is not just a problem for Poland. There is cement coming into Romania from Ukraine (660 1000 tonnes in 2024) and Turkey (593 1000 tonnes), and the full import scale last year exceeded 1.3 million tons. As in the case of Poland, the location is crucial – Romania in 2/3 borders non-EU countries. The influx of cement from outside the EU to Italy exceeded 2.8 million tonnes last year. It came primarily from Turkey (more than 1.7 million tons) and Africa (almost 1 million tonnes from Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt).
The SPC besides calls on the European Commission to introduce a customs quota
Spain is besides struggling with the problem of inflow of cement from countries with no CO2 charges. Hence, the request of European cement producers to seal the CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism) mechanics due to an uncontrolled, increasing influx of cement outside the European Union. The SPC besides calls on the European Commission to introduce a customs quota – an yearly limit on imports of cement from Ukraine to Poland (at an average of 360 000 tonnes over the last 3 years) – under an EU trade agreement with Ukraine.
“We are dealing with unfair competition from the east”, stressed Włodzimierz Chołuj, associate of the board of the SPC and CEO of CEMEX Polska. This is peculiarly evident in Podkarpacie or Lubelskie, as Poland is simply a border country of the European Union, straight exposed to flooding products from outside the EU. The import of cement from Ukraine to Poland increased by more than 540% – from 101.7 1000 tonnes in 2022 to 652.3 1000 tonnes in 2024. This year's forecasts are already saying over a million tons.
Non-EU imports are not just a problem of Poland
Therefore, the SPC calls on the EC to introduce a customs quota – an yearly limit on the import of cement from Ukraine to Poland (at an average of 360 000 tonnes over the last 3 years) – under the EU trade agreement with Ukraine.
Imports from outside the EU are not just a problem for Poland. In 2024 Ukraine sent more than 1.7 million tonnes of cement to the EU, not only to our country, but besides to Romania, Slovakia and Hungary. "Today we have unfair competition in the form of imports of cement from outside the EU," said Edmund Pies from CIROM. There is cement coming into Romania from Ukraine (660 000 tonnes in 2024) and Turkey (593 000 tonnes), and the full import scale last year exceeded 1.3 million tonnes. As in the case of Poland, the location is crucial – Romania in 2/3 borders non-EU countries.
CBAM is expected to apply from 2026.
“The import of cement from outside the EU to Italy amounted to over 2.8 million tonnes last year,” said Paolo Zelano of AITEC. It came primarily from Turkey (more than 1.7 million tonnes) and Africa (almost 1 million tonnes from Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt). As Emiliano Alonso of Oficemen stressed, Spain is besides struggling with the problem of inflow of cement from countries with no CO2 charges. Hence, the request of European cement producers to seal the CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism) mechanics due to an uncontrolled, increasing influx of cement outside the European Union.
The CBAM is expected to apply from 2026 and to let the imposition of charges on producers importing into the EU who do not bear CO2 emissions charges. However, the alleged carbon work must be full sealed and supported by checks. The cement is simply a proverbial grey powder, the carbon footprint of which should be carefully investigated by importers. Martin Becker, Deputy manager of economical Analysis at the EC, talked about the prospects of making CBAM more effective and the fight against “emission leakage”.
Energy costs for cement plants
– present we see that energy prices are crucial for competitiveness and already account for more than 35% of the costs of cement production, so we call on the European Commission to cover the cement sector with compensation for indirect costs of the EU ETS, which consequence from the increase in energy prices," commented Mariusz Adamek, associate of the SPC Board and president of Cement Ożarów. At the same time, they have reached the highest level in Poland throughout the European Union. According to FOEEiG data, in 2024 energy prices were 96 €/MWh and nearly 70% higher than in France. After the CCS technology is implemented, the power consumption of cement plants will double, so the manufacture indicates a solution – allowing to keep its competitiveness and cement production in Poland and Europe.
This is to cover the cement sector with compensation for the indirect costs of the EU ETS resulting from an increase in energy prices. – We ask to include in the list of cement industry, as was the case in the case of steel or chemical manufacture – said Prof. Jan Deja, Executive manager of SPC. It is essential to initiate a process of amending the guidelines and to extend the list of eligible sectors to cement, with a change in the commercial strength criterion, exceeding the current 20% limit would mean that the relocation of production outside Poland and the EU could be practically irreversible.
We reduced CO2 emissions by over 30% compared to 1990.
In addition, the sector is hit by CO2 emanation allowances prices of up to EUR 100 per tonne. This reduces the competitiveness of cement plants, but does not halt their efforts to decarbonise. “We reduced CO2 emissions by more than 30% compared to 1990,” described the president of the SPC, Krzysztof Kieres. Poland is the 3rd maker of cement in Europe, and this manufacture on the Vistula River creates 12 plants, located in 8 voivodships. The manufacture straight employs 4 1000 employees and creates 24 1000 additional jobs, and its activity generates PLN 3.2 billion in gross for the public finance sector each year. The full gross added value of the cement sector in Poland is PLN 5.1 billion.
cement factories in Poland are presently the most modern on the Old Continent. “We have achieved over 80% of the share of heat from alternate fuels,” added Mirosław Majchrowicz, associate of the SPC board and president of Dyckerhoff Polska. This is the highest consequence in Europe and the cement sector in Poland is besides a key partner in municipal waste management, thereby implementing GOZ assumptions.