The Commission launched the consultation on trade measures on July 18 to address the negative trade-related effects of global excess capacity on the EU steel sector.
The consultation attracted 143 submissions, with the great majority from European companies and associations supporting long-term measures based on tariff-rate quotas (TRQs), Fastmarkets understands.
Several comments received in feedback have been published on the Commission’s website.
“The [European Steel Processors Association] believes that a well-calibrated TRQ system, combined with robust anti-circumvention measures and traceability protocols, offers the most effective solution,” ESPA (Belgium) said in its response.
“A new trade measure in the form of TRQs would not necessarily introduce new or additional administrative burden for downstream users following 8 years of safeguard TRQs,” European steel industry association Eurofer said in its feedback.
Regional steel associations including UNESID, Italy’s Federacciai, German steel association WV Stahl and Polish Steel association HIPH also supported TRQ measures.
European steelmakers SSAB, Hydnum, Arvedi, Dillinger, Celsa, ArcelorMittal, Tata Steel and others also spoke in favor of TRQ-based measures.
ArcelorMittal and Tata Steel also both advocated for a 50% tariff on out-of-quota steel deliveries, matching the current steel tariffs imposed by the US.
Switzerland-based companies, including Swiss Steel Holding (Swiss Steel Group) (Switzerland), supported the measures, but urged the Commission to exclude Swiss companies from the scope of new measures due to their “deep integration into European value chains.”
By contrast, non-EU stakeholders raised concerns.
The government of Japan urged the EU to “cautiously consider the consistency of the measure with the international disciplines, including the [World Trade Organization] Agreement.”
South Korea’s Posco International warned that “abrupt introduction of TRQs or additional duties may adversely affect steel procurement processes and impede major projects,” and recommended implementation only after the current safeguard measures expire in mid-2026.
The Commission was expected to propose long-term TRQ-based measures in the third quarter of 2025, to replacing the current safeguards from July 1, 2026, and to provide equivalent protection against global overcapacity.
Trade sources that spoke to Fastmarkets believed that the new measures would most likely come into force sooner than July 2026, with one mill source saying: “The idea is for the new measures to be implemented as of January 2026.”
