Year: 2026

European stainless flat prices are continuing to rise for coils, sheets and tubes despite demand remaining flat, market sources tell Kallanish.

End-user consumption is reported as unchanged, but costs are climbing due to the Middle East conflict, pushing mills to keep lifting coil values. For July delivery, European mills have moved cold rolled coil to €2,700-2,740/tonne ($3,141-3,187/t) delivered. June delivery CRC is currently averaging €2,680/t delivered across Europe.

Several distributors report a challenging market as rising prices coincide with slow downstream demand, particularly in Italy where CRC prices continue to lag European levels.

European mills report a restocking phase and improved activity as imported coil stocks are depleted and fresh imports dry up amid CBAM and changing trade measures.

End-user demand, however, remains unchanged, Outokumpu chief executive Kati ter Horst said earlier this month during the company’s first-quarter earnings call. Last month, during Aperam’s earnings call, ceo Sud Sivaji also reported a slight restocking effect but warned that underlying demand in Europe is not improving, describing it as “flat at a very low level… we’re talking 20% below past averages”.

Northern European sources agree demand is flat. Stainless steel processors warn of weakening margins.

Until recently, distributors benefited from material bought at lower prices before values rose, keeping margins profitable. Now service centres and distributors are buying at elevated prices and struggling to pass on increases in a slow market. Sources in Germany, Italy, Poland and elsewhere report being forced into price concessions downstream, squeezing margins further.

Low imports are pushing buyers to increase European purchases significantly, but some sources still see oversupply given continued weak consumption. Mills are said to be targeting €2,900/t delivered for CRC by end of the third quarter, with increases expected to accelerate once the new trade measures take effect in July.

Despite the challenging downstream environment, no buyer anticipates price decreases in the coming months, though maintaining margins and profitability will not always be possible.

In Italy, steel processors are resisting sheet sales below €2,790/t, while sheet prices are being pushed towards €2,900/t across Europe.

“Underlying demand is not good, also because of the war in the Middle East. Investments at our clients are being postponed,” a Northern European service centre tells Kallanish. The source also expresses concern that despite weak consumption, European mills will raise capacity on the back of recent investment programmes.

The European Parliament and EU Member States have reached a political agreement on legislation implementing the EU–US trade deal. The agreement will eliminate tariffs on all US industrial goods and improve market access for selected US agri-food and seafood products, while including safeguards to protect EU industry against potential trade disruptions. Once formally adopted, the measures will apply until the end of 2029.

The European Commission has welcomed the political agreement reached between the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union on two Regulations implementing the commitments made under the EU-US Joint Statement of 21 August 2025.

The agreement provides for the elimination of tariffs on all US industrial goods entering the European Union, while also granting preferential market access for selected US agricultural and seafood products. According to the Commission, the measures are designed to support stable, fair and predictable transatlantic trade relations while ensuring access to essential products for European industry and consumers.

The Commission stated that the liberalised market access granted to US exports will help make goods needed by EU industry more readily available and more competitive, while safeguarding sensitive sectors through dedicated protection mechanisms. The Regulations include a safeguard clause allowing the EU to take swift action in the event of injurious or potentially injurious increases in imports from the United States. Regular monitoring of trade flows will also be implemented.

In parallel, the Regulations provide the European Union with enforcement tools allowing tariff concessions to be suspended, fully or partially, under specifically defined circumstances linked to the implementation of commitments under the EU-US Joint Statement.

The agreement is intended to reinforce the broader objectives of the EU-US trade framework, including maintaining stable and mutually beneficial transatlantic trade and investment relations and exploring further opportunities to reduce tariffs and address non-tariff barriers.

Commenting on the agreement, European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maroš Šefčovič stated: “Collective effort. Strong result. Meaningful work. After more than five hours of intensive negotiations, I welcome the successful trilogue outcome, fully aligned with the EU-US Joint statement. The EU has shown that we are a reliable trading partner, while standing firm in defending the interests of European stakeholders. Once formally approved by the European Parliament and the Council, this will reinforce stability in transatlantic trade and open the door even wider to constructive cooperation. I trust this is in our shared interest and reflects our common ambition.”

The agreed texts will now proceed to formal adoption by the European Parliament and the Council in the coming weeks, with the objective of ensuring rapid entry into force. Once approved, the liberalised market access measures will apply until the end of 2029, with the possibility of further extension.

The transatlantic partnership remains the world’s largest bilateral trade and investment relationship. According to the European Commission, EU-US trade in goods and services exceeded €1.7 trillion in 2025, including €911 billion in goods trade and €865 billion in services trade. More than €4.9 billion in goods and services cross the Atlantic each day.

The broader EU-US framework also includes continued cooperation on economic security, critical minerals, reduction of non-tariff barriers and addressing global steel overcapacity.

Source: ec.europa.eu

The European Commission says it will take into account Ukraine’s “special and very difficult current situation” when determining country-specific steel import quotas under the EU’s upcoming post-safeguard regime. This comes amid concerns over the potential impact on Ukrainian steel exports, Kallanish notes.

“Ukraine remains an important steel importer to the EU, and we are making sure it can benefit from a special quota and that its exports to the EU can continue, even if at a lower level than in previous years,” Commission chief spokesperson Paula Pinho said on Monday. “During the negotiations and when taking the decision on the exact quota, we will of course take into account the special and very difficult current situation in Ukraine.”

The comments came in response to questions regarding the impact on Ukraine of the EU’s planned measures aimed at restricting steel imports amid global overcapacity.

On Tuesday, the European Parliament plenary voted in favour of the proposed steel trade regulation intended to replace the current safeguard measure from 1 July. The regulation must now receive formal approval from the Council before entering into force.

Ukraine’s situation as a candidate country with special security concerns will be considered when negotiating country quota allocations, the regulation document confirms.

Asked about the timeline for negotiations with trading partners, Pinho noted: “We are working against the clock. So, the objective is to have the implementing act ready by 1 July when the current steel safeguards expire.”

ArcelorMittal has sold part of its stake in French pipemaker Vallourec, amounting to approximately 23.9 million shares, around 10% of the French tubular producer’s issued share capital, at €24 ($27.92) per share.

The sale amounts to gross proceeds of approximately $667 million and leaves ArcelorMittal with roughly a 17.3% stake in Vallourec. The steelmaker will maintain one seat on the board.

Before selling part of its share the steelmaker held a significant 28.4% of the voting rights and 27.5% of the share capital in the pipemaker. This stake was concluded in August at a price of €14.64/share, resulting in a total purchase price of €955m.

“By realising value and returning the proceeds to shareholders through buybacks, we are converting a strong investment outcome into immediate, tangible benefits… It is another example of how we have consistently executed our strategy in recent years – investing in high return opportunities to develop ArcelorMittal into a more resilient, higher quality business, capable of delivering sustainable value for shareholders through the cycle.” ArcelorMittal cfo Genuino Christino says in a note obtained by Kallanish.

The note adds that ArcelorMittal backs Vallourec’s strategy and management and continues to see value in the business.

One year after starting up its spooler rolling mill, Elbe Stahlwerke Feralpi (Feralpi Stahl) is positive about an expansion of its production capacity.

The German rebar mill of Italy’s Feralpi group intends to increase its output capacity from around 1 million tonnes/year to 1.3m t/y of rolled products. The basis for the expansion is the full operation of its new rolling mill.

The technology, supplied by Danieli, enables a new production method for rebar in coil. In the spooler plant, wire rod is processed directly from the rolling vein into a spooled ring. Previously, this was a two-stage process of hot rolling and cold stretching, followed by spooling.

“The spooler mill is the prerequisite to lift our output to a new level, now that we see that the new product is gaining ground on the market,” says managing director Uwe Reinecke.

The mill, located in Riesa, Saxony, was officially started on 15 May last year and has since been run up to two-shift operation. It has so far produced around 850,000t. The spooler mill in full operation would add another 400-450,000t/y.

For this year, the management envisages an output of 1mt, Reinecke has previously told Kallanish (see Kallanish 16 April 2026). Next year, the spooler mill will be shifted into three-shift operation.

The European Parliament plenary voted on Tuesday overwhelmingly in favour of the proposed steel trade regulation intended to replace the safeguard measure.

The new regulation must now be formally approved by the Council before entering into force on 1 July, a Parliament note states. The Council previously specified the act would pass into law if Parliament adopts the text as detailed by the Council following its provisional agreement on the regulation with Parliament in April, Kallanish notes. This suggests the approval is just a formality.

Country quota allocations remain unconfirmed, as the European Commission is still in talks with trading partners to ensure the measure’s WTO compatibility.

The Commission must take into account the import market share that prevailed in the Union steel market in 2013 – prior to the impact of global overcapacity. It should also take into account current and future free trade agreements. Ukraine’s situation as a candidate country with special security concerns will also be considered.

The total annual quota volume is set at 18,345,922 tonnes, with a 50% out-of-quota duty. The melt-and-pour requirement will be implemented, with the Commission needing to adopt implementing rules on the type of evidence required by 31 August. From 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, unused quarterly quota volumes will be carried over to the next quarter, after which a review will take place.

From 1 October 2027, the Commission will need to take into account the information gathered from importers on the country of melt and pour when specifying the country distribution of tariff quotas.

The regulation was approved by 606 votes in favour and 16 against, with 39 abstentions.

Steelmakers association Eurofer welcomed the Parliament approval. “At a time of growing geopolitical uncertainty and market distortions, this sends an important signal that the EU is prepared to act to defend its industrial base, security and autonomy. There must now be no delay in ensuring the measure enters into force by 1 July 2026, when the current safeguard expires,” says its director general, Axel Eggert.

The association reiterated its call for the measure to be extended to downstream steel-containing goods in order to strengthen the wider European industrial value chain.

EUROFER has welcomed today’s approval by the European Parliament of the new EU steel trade measure, calling it an important step towards addressing the growing pressures facing the sector from record imports, global overcapacity and rising international protectionism.

After the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favour of the measure, with 606 MEPs voting for, 17 against and 39 abstentions, Axel Eggert, Director General of the European Steel Association (EUROFER), said: “We welcome today’s strong backing by the European Parliament for the new EU steel trade measure. At a time of growing geopolitical uncertainty and market distortions, this sends an important signal that the EU is prepared to act to defend its industrial base, security and autonomy. There must now be no delay in ensuring the measure enters into force by 1 July 2026, when the current safeguard expires.”

The measure introduces a reinforced tariff-rate quota (TRQ) system, including stronger protections against import surges, enhanced monitoring and anti-circumvention tools, and a 50% tariff above quota levels. EUROFER stressed that the EU will continue to remain one of the world’s most open steel markets, with around 18 million tonnes of steel imports continuing to enter tariff-free each year.

The association also underlined that protecting European steel production and securing European steel demand must go hand in hand. EUROFER therefore called for the same strategic approach to be extended to downstream steel-containing goods in order to strengthen the wider European industrial value chain.

EUROFER added that further action remains necessary to support the sector, particularly through tackling high energy prices, delivering an effective Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and addressing global steel overcapacity.

Spanish seamless tube supplier Tubos Reunidos (TR) has told Kallanish that it is restarting production activity at its Amurrio plant progressively as of Monday.

This has been made possible after the workers’ representatives decided on Friday to suspend the indefinite strike they had been holding at the facility in Álava since 16 March to protest against the redundancy plan proposed by the company.

The ELA and LAB trade unions state that workers have not ruled out resuming protests in the future, noting that with TR entering administration, the measures proposed by the company to reduce the workforce have been suspended, though not definitively withdrawn.

The company’s workers have called for action on 26 and 28 May. The first day coincides with the judge of the competent court in Álava’s meeting with the insolvency administrator, management and the trade unions to discuss what employment measures may be taken during the proceedings.

At the beginning of May, the seamless tube supplier filed for voluntary administration (see Kallanish passim).