According to the preliminary statistics provided by the Istanbul Mineral and Metals Exporters' Association, in the H1 of this year, Turkey's steel exports to the European Union rose by 1.32% in value as compared to the corresponding period of 2009 and totaled USD 948.28 mln.

In the first 6 months of 2010, Turkey's steel exports to Italy, its number one steel trading partner in Europe, came to USD 138.51 mln decreasing by 15.23% while Turkey's steel exports to Germany amounted to USD 124.91 mln climbing by 20.81% both compared to the corresponding period of 2009. In the given period, these 2 countries were followed by the UK with Turkey's steel exports to this country totaling USD 117.38 mln with a significant YoY increase of 90.30%.

Meanwhile, among other destinations, Turkey's steel exports to Romania, where Turkish integrated steelmaker Erdemir owns a subsidiary decreased by 19.31% in the January to June period of this year, amounting to USD 115.96 mln while its steel exports to the Netherlands increased by 27.16% and its steel exports to Spain declined by 6.68% all on YoY basis.

In the H1 of 2010, Turkey's steel exports to the European Union accounted for 16.2% of the country's total steel exports, slightly down from 16.77% in H1 2009.

Source: Steelorbis