On Monday 31 August, the European Commission adopted an implementing regulation specifying the information importers must provide to prove the country where the ‘melt and pour’ process took place for 26 categories of steel products.
This requirement is intended to identify the country where the steel and raw iron were first produced in liquid form and then cast into their first solid state. On the basis of a public consultation, the Commission will ensure “that EU requirements do not put an unnecessary burden on industry, while still fulfilling their purpose of gathering information in a reliable manner for traceability purposes”, the institution said.
Introducing the ‘melt and pour’ country requirement is intended to ensure the new mechanism’s effectiveness in addressing global steel overcapacity by preventing circumvention of the legislation.
The regulation aimed at addressing the effects of steel overcapacity, which entered into force on 1 July (see EUROPE 13899/4), sets duty-free quotas at 18.3 million tonnes, establishes a 50% customs duty on imports exceeding the quota and introduces a melt and pour scheme to improve traceability. The measure applies to all third countries except member countries of the European Economic Area, which will nevertheless remain subject to the melt and pour requirements.
The implementing regulation on ‘melt and pour’ received unanimous support from the Member States on 19 August and will enter into force on 1 October. Consult the regulation: https://aeur.eu/f/n7g (Original version in French by Juliette Verdes)