EU mills uncertain whether U.S. will grant exemptions

EU mills uncertain whether U.S. will grant exemptions

EU mills remain uncertain as to whether the U.S. will grant exemptions to customers of European mills. In order for the EU to decide against implementation of the countermeasures, exemptions would need to cover all EU steel producers, officials said. Most in the industry indicate that U.S. safeguard measures will have a major impact on 3.5 – 4 million tons of steel exports from the EU. Since the exclusion process is in progress, sources say it is uncertain as to what volume would be exempted. There is also no indication at the moment of how many exemptions are set to be approved. Insiders speculate that there will not be a large number of exemptions, though. A final decision on exemptions isn't expected until early July.