The European Commission is set to release an action plan addressing unfair trade measures affecting the steel sector and reassess import limits introduced during the Trump-era steel trade dispute, which are scheduled to expire in June 2026.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasized that European steelmakers are at a crossroads, balancing the need for decarbonization with challenges posed by unfair global competition. She has tasked Executive Vice-President Sejourne with presenting the plan on March 19, shortly after the expected implementation of new U.S. tariffs, 25pct on steel and aluminum imports, announced by Donald Trump.
The action plan will focus on ensuring the commercial viability of clean steel production while tackling trade barriers and global overproduction.
According to Axel Eggert, director of the EU steel industry lobby group Eurofer, the Commission has indicated plans to propose a new system to replace the current steel safeguards by autumn. These safeguards, set to expire in June 2026, currently impose a 25pct tariff on imports exceeding historical volume levels.
Eurofer has called for immediate action in four key areas: tightening safeguard measures to reflect market realities, developing a stronger tariff system to counter global steel overcapacity, enforcing EU trade defense instruments more assertively, and implementing a robust Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) to prevent circumvention and carbon leakage while maintaining EU steel export competitiveness.
Additionally, Eurofer advocates for affordable clean energy to support industrial competitiveness and retaining Europe’s limited ferrous scrap resources to meet circular economy goals, industrial decarbonization, and strategic autonomy.
The European steel industry employs approximately 303,000 highly skilled workers, producing an average of 140 mln tons of steel annually across more than 500 production sites in 22 EU member states.
