Beslutningen vakte også vrede, især i Liège-området, da den betegner et radikalt brud på den aftale, Usinor indgik i forbindelse med fusionen med den nye Arcelor-koncern, og som indebar en forpligtelse til at foretage de fornødne investeringer i højovnene i Liège for at opretholde disse produktionslinjer.
It was also received with anger, in particular in the Liège region, because it is ruthlessly breaking the commitment made by Usinor before merging into the new Arcelor group to invest in the smelting works in Liège, in order to ensure that hot-working production lines were maintained.