IREPAS chairman: Geopolitical tensions and higher costs reshape global steel markets

Ioannis Manessis, chairman of IREPAS, the global association for longs producers and exporters, has delivered the welcome speech at the SteelOrbis Fall 2026 Conference & 95th IREPAS Meeting, being held in Belgrade, Serbia, on September 27-29. The conference has attracted 300 participants, including 96 representatives from 36 steel producers coming from 15 countries and 75 delegates from 43 raw material suppliers. Manessis stated that the global steel industry is operating in an increasingly challenging environment characterized by geopolitical conflicts, shifting trade flows, higher costs and relatively weak demand. According to the IREPAS chairman, the deteriorating situations in the Black Sea…