German EU Council Presidency 2020 Duisburg, 17 June 2020. With the "Green Deal" and the Circular Economy Action Plan, the European Union (EU) has set the course for an ecologically oriented economy in recent months. On 1 July 2020, Germany will take over the Presidency of the Council of the EU, followed by Portugal and Slovenia in the new Trio Presidency. EUROSLAG, the European Association for Iron and Steel Slag and Slag Products, sees this as a great opportunity to further promote topics such as resource conservation and the extraction of secondary raw materials and to bring them into a legal framework. Thomas Reiche, Chairman of EUROSLAG: "The first steps in the right direction have been taken at European level. Now it is important to finally establish market-proven industrial by-products as at least equivalent alternatives to primary raw materials. We hope that Germany will take corresponding initiatives in the European Council as a driving force for the EU". For Reiche, who is also Managing Director of FEhS - Institute for Building Materials Research, even a preference for secondary raw materials should be legally stipulated in public tenders: "Anyone who takes the circular economy and sustainability seriously must give preference to iron and steel slag and other secondary raw materials that are equally suitable over natural resources, whose deposits are rapidly decreasing worldwide. In Germany alone, for example, more than one billion tonnes of stone, crushed stone and gravel have been substituted by aggregates and granulated blast furnace slag from iron and steel slag in cement, concrete and road construction in the last seven decades. In addition, the use of granulated blast furnace slag in cement has saved over 200 million tonnes of CO₂". Especially in the wake of the corona pandemic, it is essential that the circular economy be seen as a central guideline for political action in the new orientation, Reiche continued. Unfortunately, the current economic stimulus package of the Federal Government has not consistently used this opportunity. About the European Council The European Council is composed of the Heads of State or Government of the individual Member States and the Presidents of the European Council and the European Commission. The meetings of the Council, which is responsible, among other things, for formulating general EU policy objectives and the final negotiations on EU legislation, are known as EU summits. The Presidency of the Council of the European Union rotates every six months among the Member States. Its tasks include chairing meetings of the Council and its preparatory committees and working groups. The new Trio Presidency, in which the partners work closely together, is intended to ensure greater continuity in European policy. About EUROSLAG EUROSLAG is based in Duisburg and brings together 26 organisations and companies from 16 countries, including the FEhS Institute and the Fachverband Eisenhüttenschlacken (Technical Association for Ferrous Slag) from Germany. As the European network for the production, use and development of iron and steel slag and slag-based products, EUROSLAG focuses on research and technology, standardisation at a European level and internal and external communication. Every two years EUROSLAG organises a conference of the same name, which will be taking place in Cologne in 2021.                   www.euroslag.com www.fehs.de www.rohstoff-schlacke.de About the FEhS-Institute For seven decades the FEhS-Institute for Construction Materials Research has been one of Europe’s leading addresses for research, testing and consulting on ferrous slags, building materials and fertilisers. As a modern service provider, the experts with seven laboratories, the Construction Competence Forum and a network of industrial associations, public authorities, standardisation committees, as well as institutions from science and research, are a sought-after partner for members and customers from all over the world.