Protecting EU steelmaking

Global overcapacity in steelmaking, often driven by non-market policies and practices, keeps growing. It is already at unsustainable levels (currently over 620 million tonnes), and is estimated to reach 721 million tonnes – more than five times the EU's annual steel consumption. In response, a growing number of third countries are closing their markets to imports, creating a major risk of trade diversion into the EU market. As a result, the economic situation of the EU's steelmaking industry continues to deteriorate, undermining its ability to effectively decarbonise. 

The new regulation ensures the continuation of effective protection for the sector. It sets tariff-free quotas at 18.3 million tonnes per year, with an out-of-quota duty set at 50%, for 30 categories of steel products imported into the EU, except for those from European Economic Area (EEA) countries. The measure also introduces an information requirement on where the steel was originally melted and poured, and a carry-over system for unused quotas between quarters during the first year. 

The EU remains fully committed to working with its international partners to find a collective WTO-compatible solution to the problem of global overcapacity. 

More information

Steel Regulation – Regulation 2026/1284

Q&A on Commission’s plan to protect EU steel industry from global overcapacity (October 2025)

Implementing Regulation on distribution of steel quota (June 2026) 

Q&A on implementing regulation

Factsheet on distribution of steel import quota 

Public consultation on ‘melt & pour’

Contact us for more information about the implementation of the regulation via TRADE-STEEL-REGULATIONec [dot] europa [dot] eu (TRADE-STEEL-REGULATION[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu).