The European Association of Non-Integrated Metal Importers & Distributors (EURANIMI) has raised strong concerns over the European Commission’s plan to introduce a “melt and pour” origin rule as part of the new steel safeguard framework. The association argues the measure appears simple in theory but fails when confronted with real industrial and traceability conditions.
Key concerns include:
- filtering out all countries that are either banned, sanctioned, targeted by antidumping or countervailing measures, or simply do not export to the EU, the rule would leave only one feasible non-EU supplier - POSCO in South Korea;
- it conflicts with EU goals on supply diversification and industrial resilience.
The association highlights inconsistency in allowing unrestricted slab imports from China and Indonesia, while simultaneously targeting products melted and poured there. This could deepen EU mills’ upstream dependency.
Traceability system deemed unworkable
The proposed rule relies on mill certificates, which EURANIMI calls unverifiable, easily altered and disconnected from the physical product, as steel passes through multiple processing stages, making melt-and-pour origin impossible to confirm, service centers and traders further weaken traceability, and inconsistent enforcement across 27 customs authorities risk a collapse of legal certainty.
Call for withdrawal or postponement
EURANIMI urges the European Commission to withdraw the melt and pour rule for stainless steel or, at a minimum, delay implementation until a globally recognized, tamper-proof traceability system exists.