The European Commission has proposed doubling import tariffs on steel to 50% in an effort to protect EU producers from foreign competition, particularly from China, EU Industry Commissioner Stéphane Séjourné announced on Tuesday.
Additionally, the volume of imports exempted from tariffs is expected to be cut in half. The proposal will need approval from the European Parliament and EU member states before taking effect.
“This is the reindustrialization of Europe,” Séjourné wrote on X.
The Commission said the move aims to safeguard European steel producers and jobs, amid a global steel surplus exceeding 600 million tons, meaning much of the production currently lacks buyers.
The issue gained urgency after the United States increased its import tariffs, raising fears in Brussels that exports originally destined for the U.S. might now be redirected to Europe, further pressuring EU producers.
According to EU data, most steel imports currently come from Turkey, South Korea, India, Vietnam, China, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine.
Germany, which hosts the EU’s largest steel industry, is already struggling with the effects of a downturn in consumer and automotive industries.
China remains the world’s largest steel producer, and the new tariffs would serve as a stronger shield for the EU against imports from Asia.
The current EU safeguard mechanism for the steel industry is set to expire in June 2026, but the new measures aim to establish a permanent solution to protect Europe’s industrial base.
