In a press release issued today, September 16, Assofermet - the association representing Italian distributors of scrap, raw materials, and steel products - has expressed concerns about the effectiveness of new European safeguard measures on steel and aluminum, which would not be decisive for the ongoing trade tensions between the European Union and the United States.
The US-EU agreement on import tariffs leaves the 50 percent tariff on steel and aluminum imports unchanged since June 4. This risks generating a strong diversion of global trade flows to Europe.
In particular, Assofermet calls for the implementation of a "mechanism based on annual and quarterly quotas, not linked to specific exporting countries, to ensure a balance between the protection of the steel industry and the supply of European manufacturing" to replace the new safeguard instrument proposed by the EU Commission which would come into force when the current measures expire in June 2026.
According to the association, an excessive ban on imports would have a disastrous impact on the European Union's manufacturing sector, which is already under pressure due to high energy costs and the implementation of the carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM).
Assofermet, therefore, proposes the introduction of balanced measures that protect both steel producers and steel users, keeping trade relations between countries open.
