Issues » Trade and external relations » EU steel safeguards
EU steel safeguard
Recent content
In March 2018, the US imposed tariffs on steel imports to the US of 25%. These measures applied to the EU as of June 2018. The EU reacted by imposing retaliatory tariffs on EU-bound EU products in late June 2018. In order to ward off the destabilising effects of deflected steels, a provisional EU safeguard on steel imports followed on 18 July 2018. The EU decided to implement a final safeguard measure in February 2019, which will last for four years, with annual reviews.
Essentially, the safeguard is a Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) of 100% based on the import levels in 2015-2017, with a dissuasive 25% tariff above that. There are further specific rules regarding quarterly quotas for certain products and countries, with limited exceptions. These change periodically as the safeguard is reviewed.
Brussels, 8 May 2025 – Seventy-five years ago, on 9 May 1950, the Schuman Declaration laid the foundation for European unity, placing coal and steel at the heart of a unique peace project that has brought unparalleled prosperity across the continent and beyond. As the EU commemorates this milestone, the fate of Europe’s steel industry will once again determine Europe’s future.
Brussels, 2 April 2025 - The latest data unveiled by the OECD in its meeting in Paris draw an extremely worrying picture, where global steel excess capacity is expected to grow from an estimated 602 million tonnes in 2024 to 721 million tonnes by 2027 – over five times the EU's steel production. The European steel industry - already severely hit by the spill-over effects of global overcapacity and the U.S. steel import tariffs - reiterates the crucial need for strict and effective EU post-safeguard measures to ensure its survival.
Brussels, 12 March 2025 – The imposition of a 25% blanket tariff by the United States' administration on all steel imports exacerbates an already dire market environment for the European steel industry and poses a genuine threat to its future. The sector expects the European Union to respond with an effective revision of the steel safeguard measures that will mitigate the impact of the U.S. tariffs and ensure the longevity of the industry in the long-term, says the European Steel Association.
The European Steel Association (EUROFER)
172 Avenue de Cortenbergh
1000 Brussels
Belgium
Email: mail@eurofer.eu
Phone: +32 (0) 2 738 79 20
