A new European Union (EU) Regulation will replace the current steel safeguard regime from July 1, 2026, introducing stricter measures on imports, which introduces some changes that will increase duty exposure and significantly reinforce compliance and traceability obligations for importers.

The system will include reduced tariff-free quotas and a 50% duty on out-of-quota imports for around 30 steel product categories. These measures will apply to all countries except European Economic Area (EEA) members.

The Regulation also introduces a “melt & pour” requirement requiring importers to declare the country where steel was originally produced.

From October 1, 2026, additional rules will require supporting documentation to evidence melt & pour origin at import.

Link to European Council press release can be found here: Council and European Parliament strike deal to protect EU’s steel industry from global overcapacity - Consilium

Link to the Proposal Regulation: COM(2025)726 - Register of Commission Documents