En+ Group calls on EU to cancel duties for low-carbon aluminum

MOSCOW, Jul 2 (PRIME) -- Russian multi-industry holding En+ Group has called on the E.U. to cancel its import duties for low-carbon aluminum, former British Minister for Climate Change and current Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of En+ Gregory Baker said on Wednesday during a launch of the company’s Green Aluminium Vision program.

The E.U. is proud of its record cuts of emissions, but it needs to invest nearly 500 billion euros a year in low-carbon transition. Still it relies on imports of high-carbon materials. The union turns off coal-fired power plants, but imports materials and finished goods that are “sucking in high-carbon, coal-produced aluminum from the other side of the world,” Baker said as quoted by the company.

“The answer is to eliminate import tariffs for low-carbon primary aluminum, giving Europe a helping hand when it needs it most. This would send a clear signal that the EU means business when it comes to the green transition,” he said.

“The ‘Green Aluminium Vision’ is a positive and practical low carbon action plan for our industry. … From using hydropower to produce aluminum, to investing in cutting edge technology to transform an energy intensive process into a carbon-free one, En+ Group/RUSAL has the credibility to lead the way.”

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