Vraag&Aanbod: Euranimi: Europe risks deindustrialisation due to new steel

The European Commission wants to further restrict steel imports, but according to the European Association of Independent Metal Distributors (Euranimi), this approach could backfire, writes Vraag&Aanbod. Without additional measures to also tax end products containing steel, the European manufacturing industry could be severely affected, the organisation warns.

The Commission recently proposed a package of measures that would halve import quotas for steel and double the import duty outside those quotas from 25 to 50 per cent. For stainless steel, the quota would even be reduced by 60 per cent. At the same time, the new CO2 tax (CBAM) will come into force on 1 January 2026, which could increase the price of imported steel by more than ten per cent.

According to Euranimi, this combination will lead to “exploding prices and structural shortages” for the European manufacturing industry. ‘The measure is excessive: halved quotas, doubled levies and a CO2 tax,’ says the organisation. ‘The consequences are predictable: higher prices, lower availability and a loss of competitiveness.

Three risks for European industry

The association points to three important effects. Firstly, the supply of steel in the EU will be further restricted, while production capacity cannot be scaled up quickly. Secondly, it will create a “red carpet” for imports of finished products made outside the EU from cheaper, untaxed steel. And thirdly, European manufacturers will lose ground on the world market because their costs will rise while competitors elsewhere can produce more cheaply.

Mirror measure for finished products

To prevent this, Euranimi advocates a mirror measure that also taxes imported finished products with a high steel content once a reasonable import threshold has been exceeded.

The organisation’s proposal means that end products containing more than 20 per cent steel would be subject to a 50 per cent import duty on the steel value once the quota has been exceeded.

For example, a washing machine consists of approximately 60 per cent steel. Once the quota has been exhausted, only the steel component of that product would be subject to the levy. According to Euranimi, this would increase the consumer price by only one to two per cent, while European manufacturers would no longer be disadvantaged.

‘Protect the entire value chain’

“Protecting only the steelworks and their 300,000 jobs is a strategic mistake,” says Christophe Lagrange, board member of Euranimi. ‘Protect the entire value chain: forty times more people work there. Otherwise, we will soon be producing European steel for a manufacturing industry that is now only a shadow of its former self.’

His colleague Rob Greve adds: ‘Protecting EU steel production is legitimate, but not at the expense of the processing industry. Otherwise, we will lose even more production, jobs and autonomy. A strong steel industry exists by virtue of a strong European market.’

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Vraag&Aanbod
Dutch
28 October 2025