The European Union (EU) plans to adjust safeguard measures on imports of certain steel products, namely angles, shapes and sections of iron or non-alloy steel (Category 17), according to a notification submitted to the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The European Commission found that 15 percent country-cap for quota volume under Category 17, which was globalized due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which was the biggest exporter to the EU, is affecting the traditional trade flows of certain trading partners, namely Turkey, South Korea and the UK, restricting their access to duty-free volumes to levels below their historical trade levels.
Consequently, the commission is considering removing the country-cap to preserve the traditional trade of these trading partners. The commission finds it necessary to re-introduce the country-specific quotas for the given countries. For the July-September quota period, the quota volumes allocated for the UK, Turkey and South Korea are 27,506 mt, 22,892 mt and 5,335 mt for the given products. Also, the country-specific quota holders will not have access to the “other countries” quota during the last quarter of the safeguard year. These adjustments will be effective from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026.
The products currently fall under the codes 7216 31 10, 7216 31 90, 7216 32 11, 7216 32 19, 7216 32 91, 7216 32 99, 7216 33 10, and 7216 33 90.