EUROFER and industriAll Europe call for urgent adoption of protective measures for steel

The European Steel Association (EUROFER) and the industriAll Europe trade union federation warn that the EU cannot wait until June 2026 to introduce new protective measures on steel imports. This is stated in a EUROFER press release.

As noted, the urgency of the issue has not changed since October, as the steel sector is under pressure, imports are at record levels, and jobs are at risk.

EUROFER and industriAll Europe stressed that the European Commission’s proposal must be adopted as a matter of priority and implemented well before the current protective measures expire.

The social partners call on the EU institutions to act immediately by introducing new trade measures by April 2026 and backing them up with a real industrial strategy.

They noted that there is currently no improvement in the economic outlook for the sector. Demand for steel remains low, with no significant recovery in sight, EU capacity restructuring is marked by closures, while global competitors are building new plants and global overcapacity continues to grow. In addition, the bloc continues to be flooded with cheap imports, which already account for 27% of the market share, twice as much as in 2012. The utilization rate of European capacity remains unsustainable.

In addition, there is massive stockpiling, undermining the future impact of new trade measures even before they take effect.

“If the new trade measures do not come into force by April 1, 2026, next year will be another lost year for European steel producers. That is why their swift adoption by the European Parliament and the EU Council is of paramount importance. We cannot afford amendments that delay adoption,” EUROFER said in a statement.

In October this year, the European Commission presented a proposal to protect the EU steel industry from the unfair impact of global overcapacity. This involves limiting duty-free imports to 18.3 million tons per year, which is a 47% reduction compared to the 2024 steel quotas, and doubling the duty rate on products outside the quota to 50%.