The European Union plans to introduce tariffs of 50% on steel imports, with the United Kingdom saying this could heavily damage the British steel industry.
The EU will match steel tariffs added by the United States. Around 78% of UK steel exports went to the E.U. in 2024.
“The European steel industry was on the verge of collapse – we are protecting it so that it can invest, decarbonise, and become competitive again,” said European Commission executive vice president for prosperity and industrial strategy Stéphane Séjourné.
Séjourné said 18,000 jobs in the EU’s steel sector were lost last year.
“In relation to the question of tariffs or other measures, as you’d expect, we are in discussions with the EU about this, as we’re in discussions with the U.S. about it,” said U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The plan would also reduce tariff-free steel import quotas by 47% to 18.3 million tonnes per year.
The EU currently caps imports of 26 steel grades, with imports above these limits subject to 25% tariffs. The new proposals are intended to bolster negotiations with the U.S. to end its 50% tariff on steel imports, The Guardian reported.
“The new measures proposed by the EU represent an existential threat to our steel industry. Europe is by far the largest destination for UK steel exports, and losing access to this market would have a catastrophic impact on British jobs,” said Alasdair McDiarmid, assistant general secretary of the UK steelworkers union Community.
UK Steel director general Gareth Stace has called for the UK to secure a country-specific quota for British steel.
Switzerland’s industry associations have also said the tariffs and quota reductions would impact Swiss steel manufacturers. “If the EU doesn't grant Switzerland duty-free quotas on a similar scale to what there currently is, the steel industry in Switzerland will have a major problem,” said industry body Swissmem.
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