EU: EU crude steel output fell by 3% year-on-year to a historic low of 126Mt in 2025, according to data published by the European Steel Association (EUROFER) in its 2026 Economic and Steel Market Outlook. The association reported record pressure from imports, which rose by 14% and reached a 29% market share in mid-late 2025. Full-year steel consumption grew by 2%, and is forecast to grow by a further 1% in 2026, attributable to 'exceptionally low' prior-year demand. Signs of demand-side recovery are ‘tentative,’ according to EUROFER.

Director-General Axel Eggert said "EU policymakers must agree the new steel trade measure quickly, without it being weakened, otherwise Europe risks losing more industrial capacity. The Iran crisis also shows how exposed European industry remains to global energy shocks. If the EU wants to keep steel production and green investment here, it must deliver both effective trade defence and affordable electricity."

France: Luxembourg-based ArcelorMittal is on schedule to restart a newly-upgraded Blast Furnace 1 at its Fos-sur-Mer steelworks in Bouches-du-Rhône in June 2026. The company said that the move is a response to the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and supporting import restrictions. It will finance the project from its €90m site investment budget for 2026.

Tanzania: Finland-based Betolar has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Australia-based EcoGraf and the Geological Survey of Finland (GTK) and to assess the use of tailings from EcoGraf's upcoming Epanko graphite mine in Morogoro Region as an alternative binder. Betolar says that its technology will increase the recovery of metals from the Epanko site’s 900,000t/yr of mine tailings.

UK: Holcim UK has appointed Krish Patel as plant manager of its upcoming cement facility at Tilbury in Essex. When commissioned in mid-2026, the facility will consist of a terminal on the River Thames, equipped with six loading heads and five weighbridges, and production facilities for ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) and EcoPlanet 30% reduced-CO₂ sulphate-resistant cement. Civil engineering work is already complete and structural and mechanical installation is underway. Holcim UK described the upcoming Tilbury facility as a ‘key hub’ in its future supply of cement to the South of England.

Krish Patel said "Tilbury will be a flagship terminal not only for Holcim, but for the wider industry."

Patel rejoined Holcim UK in March 2025 from Heidelberg Materials UK, where he managed the Purfleet grinding plant in Essex. He originally trained as a manager in Holcim UK’s asphalt operations in Greenwich, London, before which time he was an international sales representative at specialist electronics provider Advanced Power Components. Patel holds a bachelor’s degree in Mineral Products from the University of Derby.