This week, while the majority of Romanian flat steel traders have continued to keep offers stable compared to last week, rumors of imminent upward price movement have started to circulate for the coming weeks. According to market players, the new EU safeguard measures announced earlier this week, along with the ongoing implementation of CBAM, could lead to price increases, despite the generally limited demand. Meanwhile, some market participants believe that, while these new measures may offer some hope, cheap imported material will no longer be able to put pressure on the market. Others argue that the measures will mostly benefit mills, while making things more difficult for traders who rely heavily on lower-cost foreign steel.
Against this backdrop, spot market offers for hot rolled sheet (HRS) remain unchanged at €710-735/mt ex-warehouse, while cold rolled sheet (CRS) continues to be quoted at €830-845/mt ex-warehouse, both in line with the levels seen in the previous week.
Meanwhile, Liberty Galati, the country’s only flat steel producer, remains silent and uncertain regarding its future. The restructuring process is facing more delays due to a protest by judges at the Galati Court, who are only handling urgent cases. Because of this, important appeals in the case have been postponed again, with the next hearing now set for February 11, 2026. The main case has also been delayed and is now scheduled for December 16, 2025. As these dates keep being pushed back, the situation is becoming harder for everyone involved, especially the workers and creditors, and the uncertainty surrounding the plant’s future continues to grow.
On the other hand, in the import market, while not much activity has been seen on the purchasing side, some price increases have appeared on the offer side, especially from the Ukrainian supplier, mostly due to the announcement of the new safeguards. According to sources, its offers for HRS and CRS have increased to €615-620/mt CPT and €705-710/mt CPT, up from last week’s levels of €590-600/mt CPT and €680-690/mt CPT, respectively. Similarly, hot rolled coil (HRC) offers from Turkish suppliers have also increased week on week, with current CFR offers for November shipments to Romania assessed at €480-490/mt, up from €465-485/mt, including freight costs of approximately €15-20/mt. However, importers should be aware that these prices are duty-free and depend on the source, while Turkish materials are subject to antidumping duties in the EU.