On Tuesday 27 January, MEPs on the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade (INTA) approved their position on measures to counter the negative impact of global steel overproduction on the European market. They voted by 36 votes to 2 with 5 abstentions in favour of the draft report by Karin Karlsbro (Renew Europe, Swedish).
Like the European Commission’s initial proposal, the amended text provides for a reduction in import quotas, limiting duty-free import volumes to 18.3 million tonnes per year (see EUROPE 13725/1). This represents a 47% reduction compared to the 2024 steel quotas. A customs duty of 50% is planned for imports outside the quotas (compared with 25% at present).
For MEPs, it is also important to reaffirm compliance with WTO rules and to assess the possibility of amending the list of products concerned.
They have also introduced a ban on all imports from Russia and Belarus and support the exemption for “tariff-free” trade with Ukraine (see EUROPE 13763/19).
MEPs also voted in favour of starting interinstitutional negotiations with the Council of the EU. The latter adopted its position on 12 December (see EUROPE 13772/17). The Commission’s objective is to conclude the negotiations before June 2026, when the global safeguard measures for steel, in force since 2018 under the WTO Agreement on Safeguards, expire. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)