According to the Economic and Steel Market Outlook 2012-2013/Q3 2012 Report from the Economic Committee of the European Steel Association (EUROFER), in the first quarter of 2012 steel imports from third countries into the EU declined by 30 percent compared to the same period of the previous year.
The year-on-year decrease in steel imports was particularly obvious in flat products, which were 40 percent lower compared to the first three months of 2011. However, long product imports fell only 8.5 percent, while semi-finished steel registered a 20 percent increase, both year on year.
Total imports from Ukraine, Russia and China accounted for more than 60 percent of total imports of steel products arriving in the EU, with no significant changes from the same period of the previous year.
Regarding import licenses, EUROFER indicated that license applications in the first five months of 2012 remained 35 percent below the corresponding quarter of 2011.
For 2012, EUROFER expects total steel imports to fall around 23 percent, while a moderate increase expected for EU steel demand in 2013 will result in imports rising by around 4 percent.