Zaporizhstal supports restrictions on scrap metal exports, moratorium on raising railway tariffs - CEO

Zaporizhstal advocates for restrictions on the export of strategic raw materials for metallurgists - scrap ferrous metals, as well as for the introduction of a moratorium on raising railway transportation tariffs.

According to the company's press release on Monday, Acting General Director of Zaporizhstal from Metinvest Group Taras Shevchenko stated this during a working visit of First Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko to Zaporizhia.

Svyrydenko visited the metallurgical, machine-building and food industry enterprises. During the meeting with business representatives, current issues and expectations from state policy in the economic sphere were discussed.

According to the minister, over 8% of Ukraine's industrial production is concentrated in Zaporizhia region, and despite the temporary occupation of 80% of the region and constant hostile attacks on the city, it is there that almost 20% of the country's metallurgical industry products and about 7% of the country's machine-building industry products are produced.

Zaporizhstal, Motor Sich, Ivchenko-Progress, an automobile plant, and small and medium-sized businesses continue to operate in the city. Their representatives joined an open dialogue with the government's economic bloc team. Business voiced its challenges and offered its own vision of solutions to support manufacturers.

Shevchenko emphasized the urgency of preserving duty-free trade with the EU for metallurgists, the need to postpone the implementation of the carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) in Ukraine, since national manufacturers, unlike their European colleagues, do not have access to investments and modernization funds.

"The introduction of SBAM in 2026 will make economic recovery and the implementation of plans for the modernization and decarbonization of production in Ukraine impossible. Assessing the impact of CBAM on the Ukrainian economy, experts expect a drop in GDP by 4.8%, or $8.7 billion in 2026 alone. For the same reason, the economy may lose up to $2.8 billion in tax revenues and more than 73,000 jobs at processing industry enterprises," the acting CEO of Zaporizhstal cited the results of a study by CMD Ukraine.