STRASBOURG (ANP) – The European Commission wants to halve the import quotas for steel into the EU to prevent the European steel market from being flooded with foreign steel. The Commission also wants to double the import tariff for steel outside the import quotas. This is stated by Euro Commissioner Stéphane Séjourné (Industry) on X.
The proposal limits tariff-free steel imports to 18.3 million tons per year, 47 percent less than the steel quotas for 2024. An import tariff of 50 percent applies to additional steel imports, which is a doubling of the current tariff of 25 percent.
Among others, the United States and Canada have raised import tariffs on steel. Since then, Brussels has feared dumping of cheap steel from other countries, particularly from China. With these measures, the Commission hopes to protect European steel producers. The EU imported 30.5 million tons of steel last year, mainly from Turkey, India, China, and Ukraine, according to an EU source.
The Commission wants to better trace the origin of melted steel to prevent unwanted imports. “Steel sellers must indicate where the steel has been melted and cast,” said the source.
Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein are excluded from the new measures because they are part of the European internal market. Candidate countries such as Ukraine may also receive an exception if they demonstrate that the restriction endangers their security.
If the member states and the European Parliament agree to the proposal, the new rules will come into effect in June 2026.
“A strong, low-emission steel sector is essential for the competitiveness, economic security, and strategic autonomy of the European Union,” said the President of the Commission Ursula von der Leyen. “Global overcapacity harms our industry. We must act now. I urge the Council and the Parliament to take swift action.”
(October 7, 2025)
