Cement Europe has urged EU policymakers to strengthen the conditions for investment in cement decarbonisation, arguing that weakening the carbon price would not resolve the industry’s competitiveness challenges.

In a statement issued on 13 October, one year after launching its Cement Action Plan, the association said more than 120 innovation projects, including carbon capture schemes, are moving towards deployment. However, EU cement imports increased from 2.4Mt in 2016 to 14.2Mt in 2025, while exports fell by 63 per cent over the same period.

The association reaffirmed its support for the EU Emissions Trading System and called for an effective Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) addressing import and export competitiveness, with measures to prevent circumvention and close loopholes.

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Other priorities include competitive electricity prices through lower taxes and levies and investment in grids, equal access to alternative fuels, timely development of CO2 transport and storage infrastructure, and funding to reduce investment risks.

Cement Europe also wants markets that reward EU-produced low-carbon cement and concrete. It said several proposals now under negotiation reflect the industry’s requests, but implementation is needed to enable investment at scale.