Overview

• The European Commission unveiled a long‑term safeguard that cuts existing steel import quotas roughly in half and sets a 50% duty on volumes above those caps.
• The plan would replace the temporary scheme that applies a 25% tariff after quotas until June 2026, with reviews scheduled every five years.
• Officials say the measure counters global overcapacity and cheap Asian, especially Chinese, steel while aligning EU barriers with U.S. and Canadian levels.
• Brussels frames the move as meeting industry and union requests and ties expectations to green‑steel investment commitments, with the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism slated to start in 2026.
• Trade chief Maros Sefcovic cites a 70‑million‑ton drop in EU output over a decade, and talks with Washington on metals continue after a July pact left steel outside a 15% ceiling.