To protect its steel, Europe will “significantly” its customs duties (which are currently 25%)

The European Commission will propose to extend and increase the taxes of the foreign steel imported to the EU, announced this Wednesday, October 1, its Vice President Stéphane remains in representatives of the sector, according to the participants in this meeting.

Brussels will present a new measure to protect the steel sector on Tuesday, in order to replace a “backup clause” that expires next year. This new device will include the reduction of “almost half” of the quotas that can be imported without surcharge, and customs customs in foreign steel, currently set to 25%, will increase “significantly,” said the commissioner, according to these participants.

According to an internal source in Reuters, customs duties would fall from 25 to 50%, an amount similar to those imposed by the United States and Canada. These measures will be part of a new set of guarantees provided to the steel sector that must be officially presented on October 7.

Soon a “metal alliance” with the United States?

The European Union measures currently expire on June 30, 2026. The EU and its western allies are trying to limit overcapacity created by the
Chinese factories in the steel sector. The EU has already hardened its steel import fees by 15% as of April 1 and the commission is studying market trends for any protection measure for aluminum, as well as possible export rights in scrap.

The president of the United States, Donald Trump, brought customs tariffs applied by the United States to 50% to 50% in foreign imports of steel and aluminum. After a global commercial agreement concluded with the United States at the end of July, the EU indicated that it would work in close collaboration with Washington as part of a “metal alliance” to protect their respective productions of Chinese competition.

The European steel industry is at this stage always subject to customs duties of 50% in its exports to the United States. The European Commission of Commerce Maros Sefcovic met with the US trade representative of Jamieson Greer in Asia at the beginning of the month to relaunch discussions. European sources previously declared Reuters that the new safeguard measures would serve as a starting point for detailed negotiations with Washington.