European steel association Eurofer and distributors association EUROMETAL joined forces to call for trade measures on ‘steel derivatives’ – goods containing steel, they said on 28 July.
The new measures are needed to re-establish equilibrium and ensure that import volumes align with the sustainability of EU-based steel industry, they said.
“The influx of non-EU steel based products continues to replace EU-manufactured goods, entering the market without being subject to equivalent protective measures as for imported steel,” the two industry groups said in a joint statement.
“Sectors critical to Europe’s green transition are experiencing significant challenges due to these imports,” they added.
Earlier this year, the European Commission launched a public consultation on Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), including possible extension of the measures to downstream products.
Eurofer and Eurometal claimed that similar expansion is needed in traditional trade measures as lack of those expose European steel industry to growing risks from floods of imported steel containing goods
“A similar risk exists in trade policy: exempting downstream products from effective trade protections could intensify pressures — and subsequent damage — deeper into the supply chain,” the statement said.
The statement cited finding released by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) that there is an ongoing structural shift in global trade patterns, noting record-high direct Chinese steel exports in 2024 alongside rapid growth in indirect steel exports embedded within fabricated or transformed products, particularly originating from China and South Asia.
On 23 June the US extended the 50% steel tariff downstream to the steel content of relevant imports, including products such as white goods.
202050728 Joint Statement by EUROFER and EUROMETAL – Steel Derivatives
Maria Tanatar Associate Director, Steel and Green Steel
