According to the Economic and Steel Market Outlook 2025-2026/Q2 2025 Report from the Economic Committee of the European Steel Association (EUROFER), total steel imports into the EU, including semis, decreased by nine percent year on year in the first quarter of 2025. During the same quarter, the EU’s imports of flat steel fell by four percent year on year, while imports of long steel rose by seven percent and imports of finished steel products moved down by one percent, both on year-on-year basis.
In the first quarter, Turkey, South Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan, China, Ukraine and India were the main countries of origin for finished steel imports into the EU. The first five countries accounted for 87 percent of total EU finished steel imports in the first three months. Turkey became the leading exporting country to the EU, with a share of 16.4 percent, followed by South Korea with 13.5 percent, Vietnam with ten percent, Taiwan with 8.8 percent, and China with 8.3 percent.
In the January-March period, imports of finished products from China rose significantly by 42 percent, while imports from South Korea, Turkey, and Vietnam went up by 28 percent, 20 percent and 14 percent, respectively. Imports from India, Japan and Taiwan, on the other hand, decreased by 56 percent, 39 percent and three percent respectively.
According to the EUROFER report, import shares reached 27 percent of apparent consumption and the trade deficit with third countries widened throughout 2024.
