UK TRA considers the feasibility of lifting safeguard measures against rolled steel

The UK’s Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) has announced the launch of a review to determine whether final safeguard measures on imports of cold-rolled coils (CRC) should be lifted. This is stated in the report of the agency.

The review was initiated at the request of Tata Steel UK. The applicant claims that since the application of the final safeguard measures (from July 1, 2024), there has been a change in circumstances, as Tata Steel UK, the only producer of these products in the country, has decided to stop producing them for sale in the domestic market. Thus, imports will no longer cause serious damage to local steelmakers if the measure is canceled.

The review will cover the period from January 1 to October 21, 2024 (this time period was not considered when establishing the final safeguard measures).

The goods subject to the review are classified under the following codes: 2091500, 72091690, 72091790, 72091891, 72092500, 72092690, 72092790, 72092890, 72099020, 72099080, 72112320, 72112330, 72112380, 72112900, 72119020, 72119080, 72255020, 72255080, 72262000 and 72269200.

In July 2024, British traders proposed to remove cold-rolled coils from the scope of steel safeguard measures, as Tata Steel will not produce the material for external sales. During the decarbonization campaign, Tata Steel will produce CRC only for the needs of its galvanizing lines operating at its plants in the south and north of Wales.

As GMK Center reported earlier, in October this year, the British government approved TRA’s recommendation to split the import quota for hot-rolled flat products and increase its volume. The TRA’s proposal was a response to Tata Steel’s plans to go green and shut down blast furnaces at its Port Talbot facility. Starting from October 1, 2024, two types of quotas will be applied to imports of hot-rolled plates: 1A (commercial imports) and 1B (applicable only to downstream companies).