The European Parliament has backed protective measures on steel imports into the European Union (EU). They provide for a two-fold reduction in duty-free quotas. Ukrainian metallurgical companies warn that this could deprive them of their main export market. The Kyiv Independent writes about this.
The publication's journalists reported that European deputies adopted a limit on duty-free steel imports into the EU at 18.3 million tons per year from July 2026, which is 47% less than the current quota. Imported steel in excess of the established quota will be subject to a duty of 50%.
The European Commission said Ukraine would likely be able to continue supplying steel to the EU, but “at a lower level than in previous years.”
For Ukrainian manufacturers, this means additional risks for the industry, which, after the outbreak of a full-scale war, actually reoriented itself to the European market. After the EU introduced autonomous trade measures in 2022, it was the European Union that became the main buyer of Ukrainian metal products, the publication notes.
The head of the office of the CEO of Metinvest, Alexander Vodoviz, says that the new restrictions pose a serious threat to both Ukrainian producers and European consumers.
“Many of our clients in Europe depend on us, and this will also be a challenge for them,” he said.
According to Vodoviz, Ukrainian producers actually have no alternative sales markets outside the EU.
“We do not see other markets outside of Europe. The cost of production and logistics does not allow us to effectively sell our products anywhere else,” the Metinvest representative emphasized.
The European Commission is negotiating the distribution of new quotas among exporting countries, the publication says. According to the Financial Times, during preliminary negotiations in Geneva, the European Commission proposed a duty-free quota of 713 thousand tons of steel for Ukraine. The industry considers this volume to be insufficient, and according to a representative of ArcelorMittal Krivoy Rog, their company alone planned to export 1.25 million tons of steel to the EU in 2026.
Ukrainian producers also emphasize that the new quotas are being imposed on the industry at a time when enterprises are already operating under conditions of constant Russian shelling, electricity shortages, personnel problems and logistics restrictions. According to Alexander Vodoviz, without taking into account military conditions, strict quotas in combination with CBAM can lead to the shutdown of metallurgical enterprises.
The Ukrainian side now has some support in the European Parliament. Swedish MEP Karin Carlsbro, who recently visited Ukrainian metallurgical plants, said Ukraine should not fall victim to new EU restrictions when its metallurgical industry is under direct Russian attack.
“The EU must fulfill its promise to grant Ukraine a special status within the framework of the new rules,” the MEP concluded.
