The EU28 steel market is estimated to have risen by 2.6% in 2018. The increase in steel demand predominantly benefitted third country suppliers owing to a rise of 12.3% in imports whereas domestic producers hardly gained from the growth in domestic steel demand given the meagre 0.6% increase in their deliveries to the EU28 market.

The sharp year-on-year increase in imports in the second half of the year clearly illustrates that in spite of the preliminary safeguard measures imposed by the EU Commission in July 2018 the EU market was besieged by imports. This shows that market access to other regions was blocked more effectively by protectionist measures in those places, thereby leading to a continued diversion of steel to the EU market.