German-Russian Raw Materials Dialogue on the Saar: experts discuss the challenges of worldwide raw material supply

“Russia is Germany’s largest supplier of raw materials and it also plays an increasingly important role in the supply of raw materials to the two major steel companies in Saarland,” explains Dr. Michael Müller, Chairman of the Management Board of SHS, in his opening remarks. “Eastern Europe represents an important market for us in both the supply and the distribution of our products, where we want to continue to grow,” Müller adds.

Conference discussions and lectures focus on the challenges and future developments in the supply of raw materials in Germany and worldwide – not least with regard to current and future technological transformation processes. Subject matter also includes Russia’s importance as Germany's largest supplier of mineral coal, as the country with the world's largest natural gas reserves as well as one fifth of the world's rare earth reserves. 

Anke Rehlinger, Saarland’s Minister for Economic Affairs, Labor, Energy and Transport underlines in her speech: “Free and fair access to raw material resources is fundamental for the steel industry. An industrialized country like Germany must continuously take strategic precautions for its own future raw material supply and pave the way for long-term supply relationships in the interest of necessary planning security. It is essential here to cooperate with strong and reliable partners. The German-Russian Raw Materials Forum has truly set the standard in this regard. Today’s event will surely provide valuable impetus for an intensified dialogue between our domestic industry, the local administration and the relevant business partners on the Russian side.”

Guest and podium speakers include Anke Rehlinger, Saarland’s DeputyPrime-Minister and Minister for Economic Affairs, - and many other well-known guests: Stephan Toscani, President of the State Parliament of Saarland; Vladimir Sedykh, Consul General of the Russian Federation in Bonn; Prof. Dr. Klaus Töpfer, former German Minister for the Environment and German Patron of the German-Russian Raw Materials Forum; Prof. Dr. Vladimir Litvinenko, Rector of St. Petersburg Mining University and Russian Patron of the German-Russian Raw Materials Forum; Edmund Stoiber, former State Premier of Bavaria; Prof. Dr. Horst Teltschik, advisor to German Chancellor Helmut Kohl; Prof. Dr. Marc Bungenberg, Director of the Europa-Institut/University of Saarland; and Dr. Volker Steinbach, Vice President of the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources, among others.

“Demands are intensifying for transparency and social compatibility in economic and trade relations – we will examine this development," says Prof. Dr. Marc Bungenberg, Director of the Europa-Institut.

Russia is the top supplier of injection coal for the two large steel companies on the Saar and, consequently, is already an important raw material partner alongside traditional raw material suppliers like Brazil, Australia, Canada and others. “We want to consolidate the already very good relations with our Russian raw material suppliers and further the partnership dialogue,” emphasizes Hans-Joachim Welsch, Managing Director of ROGESA Roheisengesellschaft Saar (ROGESA) and Zentralkokerei Saar (ZKS), and Chairman of the Committee for Raw Materials Policy of the Federation of German Industry (BDI), in his presentation. “This conference and the opportunity for direct communication among experts is an important part of this.”

In the two-day program, guests also have the opportunity to visit the facilities of AG der Dillinger Hüttenwerke and Saarstahl AG as well as of ROGESA and ZKS – both of which are subsidiaries of Dillinger and Saarstahl in the area of hot metal and coke production. They can also see for themselves how Saarland’s steel industry is performing as an international premium manufacturer.

About SHS - Stahl-Holding-Saar:

SHS - Stahl-Holding-Saar GmbH & Co. KGaA (SHS), which was founded in 2001, is the management holding of the two large Saarland-based steel companies. Dillinger is a worldwide leader in the production of heavy plates made of steel for steel construction, mechanical engineering, off-shore, offshore-windpower and the linepipe sector. Saarstahl is a globally leading manufacturer of rod and bar steel for the automotive industry, the construction industry and general machinery. Around 14,000 employees work within SHS and generate a turnover totalling around 4.5 billion euros.

About the Europa-Institut

Prof. Dr. Marc Bungenberg is Professor of Public Law, International Law and European Law at the University of Saarland and, together with Prof. Dr. Thomas Giegerich, is Director of the Europa-Institut. The Europa-Institut at the University of Saarland was founded in 1951. For more than six decades now it has stood for excellence in research and education in the field of European and international law. In the master’s program of the Europa-Institut, highly qualified specialists from science and industry teach students from all over the world. A special focus is international business law with investment protection and raw material law.