EU introduces quotas to restrict imports of ferroalloys

The European Commission has imposed definitive safeguard measures on imports of certain ferroalloys into the bloc, concluding an 11-month investigation, according to a statement from the institution.

The definitive measures consist of establishing tariff rate quotas (TRQs) for each country separately for duty-free imports of each type of ferroalloy. Imports exceeding these quotas will be subject to a duty equal to the difference between the established price threshold and the actual price of the imported product.

As noted by the EC, although the safeguard measures apply without exception to all third countries, including Norway and Iceland, which are part of the European Economic Area, they were designed to minimize the impact on common European value chains. The EC plans to hold separate three-month consultations with Norway and Iceland to analyze the economic impact of the new measures.

The safeguard measures will remain in place for three years, until November 17, 2028.

The decision to introduce them was taken following an investigation launched in December 2024. It concluded that the influx of imports into the EU is causing serious damage to the bloc’s ferroalloy industry. The review confirmed that imports of certain ferroalloys into the EU have increased due to global overcapacity, import restrictions in other countries, and a general increase in tariffs. Between 2019 and 2024, imports of these products increased by 17%, causing the market share of EU producers to fall from 38% to 24%.

It is noted that the EC has ensured that the measures introduced are compatible with the EU’s obligations under existing bilateral or regional trade agreements with third countries.

As previously reported, the safeguard measures concern imports of ferromanganese, ferrosilicon, ferrosilicomanganese, and ferrosilicomagnesium. The quota volumes are set at 25% below the average imports of each product to the bloc in 2022-2024. This is intended to ensure a stable market share of 30-40% for European producers.

The proposed price thresholds are as follows:

• €1316/t for ferromanganese,
• €2408/t for ferrosilicon,
• €1392/t for ferrosilicomanganese,
• €3647/t for ferrosilicomagnesium.

The safeguard measures do not have a mechanism for changing the minimum price, but the volumes of duty-free quotas will increase by 0.1% annually on November 18, 2026, and 2027.

The ferroalloy industry association Euroalliages, which was the driving force behind the investigation, called for Norway and Iceland to be excluded from these measures in a conversation with Argus.

The European Steel Association (EUROFER) also supported TRQ-based protection to support the region’s ferroalloy industry. At the same time, Italy’s Assofermet called on the country’s government to seek adjustments, arguing that this would have a significant impact on supply chains for EU importers and processing industries.

In October, the European Commission proposed to almost halve steel import quotas and increase duties on volumes exceeding them to 50%.