European Commission starts consultation on new trade measures to replace steel safeguards
The European Commission has opened a consultation on future steel trade measures to replace existing steel safeguard measures, with market participants expecting the new measures to be phased in sooner than in July 2026, Fastmarkets understands.
On Friday July 18, the Commission launched a targeted consultation aimed at identifying potential future actions to protect the EU steel industry from unfair trade practices and the adverse effects of global steel overcapacity.
The existing steel safeguard measures have been in place since 2019 and were intended to protect EU steelmakers from a potential surge in imports. The current measures are set to expire on June 30, 2026.
The Commission is aiming to find “an effective replacement” for the current EU safeguards on steel.
Steel industry stakeholders have until August 18, 2025 to submit their views on several options prepared by the Commission.
In the third quarter of 2025, the Commission is expected to propose long-term measures, based on tariff-rate quotas, to replace the steel safeguards from July 1, 2026, providing an equivalent level of protection against negative trade-related effects caused by global overcapacity.
Sources, however, told Fastmarkets that the new measures might come into force sooner than July 2026.
“The idea is for the new measures to be implemented as of January 2026,” a source said.
Potential scenarios
European Steel Association (EUROFER) director general, Axel Eggert, told delegates at the Eurometal 75th anniversary event earlier this month, that any new measures should cover all basic steel products, including steel derivatives and processed products.
The existing steel safeguarding measures cover 26 product categories.
The Commission said the new “highly efficient measures” should apply to all countries, “regardless of market orientation or development status.”
Several sources told Fastmarkets they expect the new measures to be product-based rather than country based.
“There is likely to be a tariff-rate based quotas for each steel product. And this [quota] will be applied to all overseas suppliers with no exemptions,” a source said.
Under the current measures, many developing countries are exempt from steel safeguards, although there are some exceptions for specific product categories.
This allows for certain loopholes and increased deliveries of certain steel products from countries not covered by safeguards to the EU markets.
For example, earlier this year, sources said there was a sharp increase in HRC deliveries, notably from Indonesia, that could result in either an anti-dumping probe or their inclusion in the “other countries” quota, with the latter appearing more likely.
For example, in January-April 2025, Indonesia supplied 213,152 tonnes of HRC to the EU, compared with just 64,213 tonnes over the same period in 2024. Total HRC deliveries from Indonesia to the EU amounted to 250,908 tonnes in 2024.
EUROFER has suggested the introduction of an increased tariff for above-quota imports of 50% – it is currently 25%.
Tighter measures were necessary to safeguard struggling domestic steel producers in the face of an unprecedented surge of imports., the
The EU has seen a rise in steel imports, particularly from countries with overcapacity and potentially lower production costs. This surge in imports of foreign steel has put downward pressure on prices and reduced the demand for domestically produced steel.
Apparent steel consumption in the EU amounted to 127 million tonnes in 2024, down by 2.3% from 130 million tonnes in 2023 and lower than during the 2020 pandemic year, when it stood at 129 million tonnes, according to EUROFER data.
Real steel consumption shrunk by 3.8% in 2024 to around 132.7 million tonnes, down from around 138 million tonnes in 2023.
While both steel consumption and production in the EU declined, the share of steel imports in the European market has been rising, crowding out local supplies, sources said.
EUROFER data also shows that carbon steel imports to the EU in 2024 amounted to 26.36 million tonnes, up by 6.4% from 2023’s 24.78 million tonnes.
European steel HRC market remains quiet on seasonal holidays
The steel hot-rolled coil market in Europe remained quiet on Tuesday July 22, with many market participants in Northern Europe on holiday and those in Italy digesting higher offer prices from some local mills.
Mills in Northern Europe had mostly filled their September order books, with some minor tonnages remaining, and thus offered mainly October tonnages at prices no lower than €560 ($656) per tonne ex-works.
Activity among customers was also quiet due to holidays and the seasonal maintenance period. Trading was expected to be subdued until September.
Some rare estimates of workable prices were heard at €550 per tonne ex-works, but no major sales were heard during the day.
Fastmarkets’ calculation of the daily steel HRC index, domestic, exw Northern Europe, was €555.00 ($650.59) per tonne on July 22, up from €550.83 per tonne on July 21.
The Italian HRC market was splintered, because of the limited availability of material from domestic mills.
The market leader increased its offer prices to €540-550 per tonne ex-works, following the lead of fellow mills in Northern Europe, but one customer said that “its price is very much case-by-case and the mill is very firm.”
Meanwhile, a re-roller was said to be struggling to sell at €520 per tonne ex-works.
And a third participant was out of the market, facing delays on previous orders and having no spare capacity for new orders.
“There is no overall workable price in the Italian domestic market these days,” a local source said.
Fastmarkets’ daily steel hot-rolled coil index, domestic, exw Italy, was calculated at €530.63 per tonne on July 22, up from €523.33 per tonne ex-works on July 21.
Consortium to acquire Liberty Steel’s Ostrava steelworks in Czech Republic; Liberty’s other European assets mostly face closure
The Ostrava steelworks in the Czech Republic, previously owned by Liberty Steel, has been acquired for 3 .01 billion Czech koruna ($142.5 million) by a consortium of local companies, Fastmarkets understands.
The offer from SPV NH Ostrava and SPV NH Koksovna – which is owned by former minister of the interior of the Czech Republic, Martin Pecina – is for the steelmaking and coking assets at Ostrava and has been approved by the creditors’ committee, according to local media reports.
But the transaction still has to be approved by the insolvency court, the Czech antitrust authority and the Office for the Protection of Competition (ÚOHS), Fastmarkets understands.
The Ostrava steelworks was declared insolvent in June 2024 but, if approved, the acquisition is expected to be complete in autumn 2025 and sources said there were no other parties interested in purchasing the Ostrava assets.
The Ostrava steelworks has four blast-furnaces with a combined capacity of more than 4 million tonnes per year, although the last operational blast furnace was idled in October 2023.
The plant is able to produce hot-rolled coil, cold-rolled coil, steel sections and wire rod, and sources told Fastmarkets that, after the hot-end closure, Liberty was still operating the plant as an “on and off” reroller, using imported slab.
Other Liberty assets in Europe
Most of Liberty Steel’s insolvent steelmaking assets in Europe, meanwhile, now face permanent closure due to a lack of potential investors, sources told Fastmarkets on Tuesday July 22.
Liberty acquired a number of its European steel assets, including the purchase of Liege-Dudelange from ArcelorMittal, in 2019, but almost all those acquisitions have faced insolvency or closure in recent years.
Liberty’s Liège-Dudelange operation in the Benelux region, comprised three production sites – at Flémalle and Tilleur in Belgium and at Dudelange in Luxembourg – with each producing cold-rolled coil, hot-dipped galvanized coil (HDG) and tinplate.
Liberty Flémalle had a capacity of about 1 million tpy of HDG, while Tilleur produced around 200,000 tonnes of CRC and tinplate. And the Dudelange site in Luxembourg produced around 1 million tpy of galvanized products.
Sources told Fastmarkets that Liberty Steel’s plant at Dudelange employed around 185 workers, but added that it was “highly dependent” on feedstock supplies from the Liege operations.
And, in December 2024, the Dudelange plant was declared insolvent and a receiver appointed, while the Belgian assets also entered a process of liquidation.
Liberty Steel’s attempts to organize a reacquisition faltered. Then, in February this year, Turkey’s Tosyali Steel submitted an offer for the potential acquisition of the Dudelange plant, but Fastmarkets understands the deal did not progress beyond that stage.
However, part of the Liege operation was “lucky enough” to find an investor earlier this month, when ArcelorMittal confirmed the takeover of Liberty’s Flémalle facilities, including the HDG line, some “CEPI” repair lines and a water treatment plant.
“The galvanizing line in Flémalle will allow us to expand our ability to manufacture a high added-value product for our automotive and construction customers across Europe, ArcelorMittal Belgium chief executive officer Frederik Van De Velde said on July 10.
“We look forward to working with the skilled team at Flémalle and to restoring the plant to operating at a world-class level,” he added.
The final steps to complete the acquisition are expected to be completed shortly and ArcelorMittal Belgium expects to start operating the galvanizing line in 2026, following about nine months of maintenance work alongside any other investment projects required to restore the line.
Another Liberty asset – the Galati steelworks in Romania – recently restarted one blast furnace, but was faced with technical setbacks just days after the restart.
Former Liberty steel plate producer, Huta Czestochowa in Poland, was declared bankrupt in October 2024, but the Polish Ministry of Defense is understood to be planning to buy the assets.
Fastmarkets’ reached out to Liberty Steel for comment, but had not received a response at the time of publication.
SÜLZLE Stahlpartner acquires WesterwaldStahl
SÜLZLE Stahlpartner GmbH is taking over the reinforcing steel division of WesterwaldStahl GmbH in Ransbach-Baumbach on 1 July 2025.
With this step, SÜLZLE Stahlpartner is expanding its presence in the Westerwald, Rhineland and the neighbouring metropolitan regions in western Germany. Customers can look forward to a wide range of services and familiar support from the proven local team. The takeover strengthens SÜLZLE Stahlpartner’s proximity to its customers and emphasises its claim to offer innovative and sustainable steel solutions for the construction industry throughout Germany.
Since 2014, WesterwaldStahl GmbH can look back on an eventful history with several successful takeovers and mergers. As a specialist in construction steel and reinforcing steel, the steel trading company in Ransbach-Baumbach has built up an excellent reputation in the Westerwald region and beyond as a subsidiary of the SchwarzwaldEisen Group in recent years. Following the takeover, the site will remain an independent branch under the umbrella of SÜLZLE Stahlpartner and will complement the Germany-wide network of one of the leading reinforcing steel traders and bending companies.
‘In SÜLZLE Stahlpartner, we have found an experienced and strong partner who will continue to develop our company with innovative strength and in line with our shared values’, emphasises branch manager Jörg Jung.
With the integration of the new location, SÜLZLE Stahlpartner has secured a direct presence in the heart of Germany.
‘With Ransbach-Baumbach, we are closing an important gap in our network and can supply our customers even faster and more flexibly. We are particularly pleased that all employees will be taken on and that their experience and expertise will be retained’, explains Heinrich Sülzle, Managing Partner of the SÜLZLE Group.
Andreas Sülzle, Managing Partner of the SÜLZLE Group, also sees the takeover as a strategic milestone: ‘We are making targeted investments in the future viability of our group of companies and want to be a pioneer for sustainable solutions in the industry. Our focus is on individualised support and reliable supply for our customers.’
SchwarzwaldEisen Managing Director Dr Marco Stefan Auer adds: ‘We are delighted to be placing the Ransbach-Baumbach site in the good hands of SÜLZLE Stahlpartner. The rolled steel business under the name WesterwaldStahl as part of SchwarzwaldEisen GmbH will remain unaffected by the takeover and will continue as usual at the Andernach, Ransbach-Baumbach and Altenkirchen sales locations as well as with the warehouses in Andernach and Altenkirchen.’
With 17 locations, SÜLZLE Stahlpartner is one of the leading steel distributors and bending companies in Germany and has stood for innovation and partnership-based cooperation for 145 years. The family-run company, now in its fourth generation, offers a comprehensive range of products – from customised reinforcement cages, bolted connections and reinforcing steel in all variants to sectional steel, steel beams, steel bars, tubes and flat products. SÜLZLE Stahlpartner supplies construction projects of all sizes – from private house builders to major projects such as Terminal 3 at Frankfurt Airport in the Rhine-Main region. As a pioneer in the industry, the company also enables its customers to purchase climate-friendly steel and thus makes an active contribution to CO₂ reduction in the construction industry.