According to the Economic and Steel Market Outlook 2013-2014/Q1 2013 Report from the Economic Committee of the European Steel Association (EUROFER), in the first 11 months of 2012 steel imports from third countries into the EU decreased by 29 percent compared to the same period of the previous year.
Flat products continued to register the sharpest decline in import volumes, although the year-on-year decline eased towards the end of last year. Flat product imports fell 35 percent year on year over the first 11 months of 2012. The reduction in long product imports amounted to 17 percent year on year, with October and November imports stabilizing at around the year earlier level.
Total imports from Ukraine, Russia and China continued to dominate total imports arriving in the EU, accounting for 63 percent of total imports of steel products.
For 2013, EUROFER expects the EU's total steel imports to stabilize around the year earlier level, with a moderate increase in imports forecast for 2014.