Global Daily Tax News, EU Agrees New Duties Regime For Foreign Steel Products, (Apr 15, 2026)

The European Parliament and the Council have agreed a policy response to protect the EU steelmaking sector against global overcapacity.

The new measure sets tariff-free quotas at 18.3 million tonnes per year, with an out-of-quota duty rate of 50 percent for 30 categories of steel products imported into the EU.

The bodies also agreed a "melt and pour" requirement to improve traceability and transparency of the EU steel supply chain.

The tariff measure will apply to imported products from all countries, except for EEA countries. However, EEA countries will also be subject to "melt and pour" requirements.

Welcoming the political agreement, the European Commission said: "The measure will address the negative trade-related effects of global steel overcapacity – projected to reach 721 million tonnes by 2027, which is more than five times the EU's annual steel consumption. It will also shield 2.5 million jobs linked to steel production and support the EU's decarbonisation goals."

The new measure will replace the existing EU steel safeguard, which has since 2018 imposed a Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) system on 28 product categories, permitting duty-free imports up to a limit before a 50 percent tariff applies.

The agreed text will now be considered for formal adoption by the European Parliament and the Council over the coming weeks, with implementation eyed for July 1, 2026.