European Union lawmakers and member states reached an agreement on Monday to double tariffs on imported steel in an effort to protect the bloc’s struggling industry from the influx of low-cost Chinese exports.
EU governments and Parliament representatives agreed to raise steel import duties to 50% and reduce the tariff-free import quota by 47%.
The Parliament has agreed to provisional rules that will limit steel imports from July, replacing safeguard measures due to expire on 30 June. The deal aims to tackle global steel overcapacity and reduce the risk of excess production being redirected into the EU market.
EU industry commissioner Stéphane Séjourné described the agreement as the ‘strongest ever’ safeguard measure and a ‘victory for steel mills, steelworkers, and industrial sovereignty.’
The deal introduces a revised tariff-rate quota system that permits a fixed amount of steel to enter the EU at lower tariffs, with higher duties imposed once those limits are exceeded. Steel import quotas will be reduced by around 47% compared with 2024 safeguard levels, equivalent to 18.3 million tons annually, while tariffs on imports above the quota will increase to 50%.
In the first year of implementation, unused quotas can be rolled over from one quarter to the next across all product categories. From the second year onward, the European Commission will decide whether such carry-over arrangements will continue for specific products.
The agreement also introduces a ‘melt and pour’ rule, requiring identification of the country where steel was first produced in liquid form and cast. The criterion will be used in allocating quotas to non-EU nations, according to the Council. Within two years, the Commission must assess whether melt and pour should become the basis for country-specific quota allocations.
The scope of covered products will largely match the current EU steel safeguards. However, the Commission must review within six months of the regulation taking effect whether additional steel products should be included, such as tubes and pipes, specific wire products, and forged bars.
European steel industry association Eurofer welcomed the agreement, saying it could help safeguard around 230,000 jobs across Europe.
European steel output dropped to about 126 million tons last year, a historic low, far below China’s production of 960 million tons. At the same time, imports surged to record highs, making up nearly one-third of EU steel consumption in the third quarter of 2025, according to industry figures.
The new rules will apply to steel imports from all countries except members of the European Economic Area—Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.
The agreement remains provisional and must receive formal approval from the European Council.
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