WV Stahl welcomes the EU agreement on stricter protection of steel imports

The German Steel Industry Federation (WV Stahl) welcomes the trilateral agreement reached by European institutions on a new, significantly stricter trade defense instrument for steel imports.

The industry believes this decision is an important step toward strengthening the EU steel industry amid ongoing pressure from global overcapacity.

The new mechanism provides for the introduction of country- and product-specific tariff quotas with clearly defined limits. If these limits are exceeded, import duties of 50% will be automatically applied. According to WV Stahl’s assessment, this will significantly strengthen the protection of European producers without resorting to a complete market closure.

At the same time, the instrument will become more flexible and adaptive. In particular, it provides for the ability to respond more quickly to changes in market conditions, which is critically important given the volatile demand and excess supply in the global steel market.

Special attention is given to combating circumvention of restrictions. New rules for determining the origin of products are intended to prevent the rerouting of steel flows through third countries to avoid tariffs.

In addition, a review of the list of products subject to the mechanism is planned just six months after its launch, which will allow for the rapid adaptation of the instrument to market changes.

WV Stahl emphasizes that strengthening trade defense creates the foundation for restoring investment and advancing decarbonization. At the same time, the industry stresses the need for additional steps, including improving the CBAM, creating demand for “green” steel, and ensuring competitive energy prices.

As a reminder, the European Commission proposed new safeguard measures on steel imports in October of last year. On April 14, 2026, negotiators from the European Parliament and the European Council reached a political agreement on the relevant safeguard measures.