The EU finally protects its steel industry and its workers
EU steel market
Today, the European Parliament adopted an agreement aimed at reducing the total volume of steel import quotas by around 47%. Above this volume, out-of-quota duties will rise from the current 25% to 50%.
The Greens/EFA welcome this unprecedented EU measure to protect the European market from global steel overcapacity and unfair competition. The Greens/EFA have also secured the inclusion of so-called ‘melt and pour’ rules, which prevent steel originally manufactured in China but melted down in other places from entering our market with a different label. The new quota system will come into force on 1 July 2026.
Greens/EFA MEP Catarina Vieira, Member of the Committee on International Trade, comments:
"The Greens/EFA have secured a significant victory for the steel industry, its workers and the decarbonisation of the sector.
“Faced with China’s strategy of flooding our markets with cheap steel and with the ongoing pressure from the United States, Europe is finally taking action to protect its steel industry. Today, we are sending a clear signal to workers and the industry: we will not give up our jobs, our expertise or our strategic autonomy.
“Thanks to our determination during the negotiations, we have introduced a decarbonisation criterion into the text. This is a first for such a trade defence instrument. The idea is simple: the more our industry makes the transition, the more vulnerable it is to unfair competition, such as Chinese steel produced by Uyghurs using coal. We therefore want to provide reassurance to the sector and ensure we will protect it so that it can make its transition.
“Finally, we have also secured provisions ensuring that international conventions on workers’ rights and the Paris Agreement are taken into account. In this way, we aim to protect workers globally and facilitate the sector’s transition towards better production methods.
“This file perfectly illustrates how the green transition and social justice go hand in hand, and we are delighted with the final version of the text.”
