ArcelorMittal is stroking the green light: Bremen in shock!

ArcelorMittal is stroking the green light: Bremen in shock!

Bremen, Deutschland - The future of the Bremen steel mill of ArcelorMittal is on the brink. Characterized by uncertainty and disappointment, the employees and their supporters took a clear point of view on July 1, 2025. The ver.di district board member Bremen-Nordniedersachsen rejects the company's decision not to submit no plans for modernizing and decarbonization. In cooperation with the works council and the IG Metall, they are committed to a social-ecological renovation of industry in Bremen, such as ver.di reported.

On June 19, Arcelormittal had rejected the plans to redesign the steel mill in Bremen. This decision creates uncertainty and disappointment among the employees who are concerned about their well -paid jobs and the economic importance of the work for the region. The work not only guarantees direct jobs, but also ensures demand in industrial services.

a heavy blow for Bremen

The plans, which included the decommissioning of blast furnaces and the construction of a direct reduction system with environmentally friendly hydrogen, have now died. The course of the company, which has now been included in contrary to the planning, not to make funding applications for the climate -neutral renovation is a difficult blow for Bremen, as Mayor Andreas Bovenschulte expresses. The group justifies its decision primarily with unfavorable political and market -related framework conditions. CEO Geert van Poelvoorde explains that the European steel industry is under pressure to maintain its competitiveness, since high costs for hydrogen and cheap steel imports from non-EU countries endanger the strategy, according to the analysis of Buten and inner .

The possibility of supporting Bremen and the federal government with around one billion euros for the renovation was also questioned. Van Poelvoorde expressed that even with financial aid, the cost -effectiveness of the changeover was not given. Bremen's Senator for Economic Affairs Kristina Vogt described the decision as irresponsible and industrial politics, a feeling that is shared by the employees and supporters.

challenges of the steel industry

The steel industry in Germany is faced with many challenges. At a time when the demand decreases primarily from former buyers, the uncertainty in terms of energy and gas prices also puts a strain on production. There are high costs in the room, and in the German steel industry alone there are massive investment needs to reduce CO2 emissions. The multitude of tariffs further complicates exports, while the overcapacities prove to be an additional cost trap, as the Handelsblatt analyzes ( Handelsblatt ).

Sustainable transformation is still essential. Climate protection is not seen as a threat to operating places, but as a necessary reminder that the industry has to change its business model in order not to be pushed by the market. The Bremen climate goals must be achieved to secure a good life within the planetary borders.

The negative decision of ArcelorMittal not only endangers the economic foundations of the employees, but also slows down the social-ecological renovation, which is intended to serve as a model for the entire industry. Together with the works council and ver.di, hope for a positive turn remains, also against the pressure from outside.