It had long been announced: on 30 June 2026, the existing safeguard measures on steel expire and are replaced by the new safeguard measures, which apply from 1 July 2026. The relevant regulation, Regulation (EU) 2026/1384 on curbing the negative trade-related effects of global overcapacity on the Union steel market and amending Regulation (EU) 2020/2170, was published in the Official Journal of the EU, L series, on 24 June 2026. It applies from 1 July 2026. The binding text of the regulation is now available in German, which is welcome news, allowing importers to familiarise themselves with the rules. Until now, only the draft regulation, most recently in the Council’s version, had been available, and only in English.
From the relevant press releases issued by the EU institutions involved over the course of the legislative process, it was already possible to glean what would now apply:
- The duty-free import quotas have been reduced and now stand at 18,345,922 tonnes annually (Annex II).
- The out-of-quota tariff rate is now 50% (previously 25%).
- Proof of the country of melting and pouring
Under Article 4 of the new regulation, importers of the affected product categories must, at the time of import, provide “verifiable, appropriate evidence,” for example a mill test certificate, to prove the country in which the raw steel or raw iron was originally produced in liquid form in a steel or iron-making furnace and subsequently cast into its first solid state. The EU Commission will adopt implementing acts on this matter, setting out the type of evidence importers are required to submit. In doing so, the specific situation of SMEs is to be taken into account, and disproportionate administrative burden is to be avoided. The first of these implementing acts is to be adopted by 31 August 2026 at the latest.
A consultation procedure on this topic is currently under way, in which companies and associations have the opportunity to submit comments. Companies may also, where relevant, seek to exert influence through their industry associations. The consultation runs until 2 July 2026:
The aim of these safeguard measures is to prevent the negative effects of global overcapacity in the steel sector on the EU steel sector. As early as 2019, an analysis found that the Union’s steel industry was at that time in a situation involving a threat of serious injury, which is why the EU adopted safeguard measures in the form of Regulation (EU) 2019/159. This situation has since become further aggravated by trade-restrictive measures affecting this sector, including those imposed by the United States. As under the previous safeguard measures, the EU Commission retains the ability to adjust the quota volumes, subject to the requirement that their total value must remain between 14 400 000 tonnes and 22 200 000 tonnes. This mechanism is important in order to be able to respond to current developments in global overcapacity as well as in demand. We will keep you informed on this topic!
