Steel, EU countermeasures arrive: towards doubling of tariffs to 50 per cent

The share that remains in free competition would also be untaxed. In this sense, the EU strategy is different from the one decided by the US administration, which provides for tariffs on steel imported from abroad from the first tonne.

The European measure comes in a dramatic context for the steel industry (which lost 18,000 jobs in 2024 alone). The proposal is compatible with the rules of the World Trade Organisation, the European Commission assures us - a dialogue with third countries will be necessary to decide on the allocation of 10% of the market open to competition. Unlike the measures taken in previous years, the new measure will not be temporary.

In recent weeks, the debate in the European Commission has been particularly heated. Some commissioners were of the opinion that preserving a steel industry in Europe was not essential. Others supported the idea of producing only green or very high quality steel on the continent. Those who want to maintain production sites and guarantee European sovereignty, producing steel also for defence and automobiles, prevailed.

The measure, according to Commissioner Séjourné, will lead to a price increase of 3%, on average.

"According to our calculations, steel will cost 50 euros more for a car, and one euro more for a washing machine. As mentioned, by increasing tariffs to 50 per cent, the European Union is partly aligning itself with the US tariffs on steel. "This does not detract from the fact that we are continuing the dialogue with Washington in order to find a broader agreement. In the steel field, European imports from the US are very limited.

On the face of it, the new measures should be welcomed by the industry. For some time Eurofer, the European trade association, has been calling for more drastic measures to defend European steel than those already introduced in 2018 and 2024. The EU measure has been the subject of rumours in recent days, rumours that have caused a sharp increase in imports in order to avoid the additional tariffs (today, as mentioned, the tariff is 25%).