The European Commission has imposed definitive safeguard measures on imports of certain ferroalloys into the EU for three years, until 17 November 2028, Kallanish notes.
The measures introduce country-specific tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) by product type, allowing set volumes to enter duty-free. Imports above the quota may still enter duty-free if priced above the established threshold; if priced below it, duties will apply to bridge the gap to the threshold.
The safeguards apply to all third countries, including EEA members Norway and Iceland, but are designed to minimise disruption to the EU’s integrated value chain. The Commission will hold tri-monthly consultations with Norway and Iceland and closely monitor the measure’s impact to reinforce supply-chain resilience, it said.
The decision follows a safeguard investigation launched in December 2024, which found that rising imports, driven by global overcapacity, trade restrictions in other markets and higher tariffs, were causing serious injury to EU ferroalloy producers. Imports of the products concerned increased 17% between 2019 and 2024, eroding EU producers’ market share from 38% to 24%.
“The EU cannot afford to let a strategic industry collapse under the weight of rising import pressures. A TRQ-based safeguard – designed in close coordination with our industry – is a necessary and responsible step to defend our industrial resilience,” Maroš Šefčovič, EU commissioner for Trade and Economic Security; Interinstitutional Relations and Transparency said in a press statement.
The measures are to apply to ferro-manganese, ferro-silicon, ferro-silico-manganese and ferro-silico-magnesium, under CN codes 7202 11, 7202 19, 7202 21, 7202 29, 7202 30 and 7202 99 30.
Elina Virchenko UAE
