European Union Doubles Steel Tariffs

As Agence France-Presse reported, the European Union (EU) voted last week to double tariffs on steel imports into its member countries. EU governments and parliament representatives also agreed to reduce by 47 percent — to 18.3 million tons a year, or the total volume of steel the EU imported in 2013 — the volume allowed into their borders before tariffs apply. (Agence France said 2013 was chosen because it is the year the EU believes the market became unbalanced.)

According to an EU press release, the draft regulation also seeks to strengthen the traceability of imported steel products by clarifying the evidence to be provided by importers on the origin of their steel. (The European Commission would have to take into account the origin of steel when assigning the annual quotas.)

The deal is provisional and needs to be officially endorsed by the European Council, which represents member states, and the European Parliament before it is formally adopted. The plenary could vote on the provisional agreement in May.

If formally adopted, the new system would replace one that expires June 30, 2026 and that imposed 25 percent duties beyond set import quotas.

The new measures would apply to imported products from all countries except for European Economic Area members Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway. According to Agence France, European steel production fell to about 126 million tons in 2025, a historic low, while imports rose to record levels and accounted for nearly one-third of European steel consumption in the third quarter of 2025.