The European Union has announced plans to mirror Donald Trump’s steel tariffs, doubling import duties to 50% — a move condemned as “an existential threat” to the UK steel industry.
With around 80% of Britain’s steel exports headed to the EU, the decision is being described by industry leaders as the most severe challenge the sector has ever faced.
Under the proposal, unveiled before the European Parliament on Tuesday, the European Commission also intends to cut the existing quota for duty-free steel imports and require suppliers to disclose where their steel was melted and poured. The aim is to block China from funnelling its products into Europe via third countries.
Senior EU officials said the move would serve as “an important stepping stone” in talks with Washington, demonstrating to Donald Trump that Brussels shares America’s concerns over Chinese steel dumping.
“The European steel industry was on the verge of collapse – we are protecting it so that it can invest, decarbonise, and regain competitiveness,” said EU Industry Commissioner Stéphane Séjourné at an event in Strasbourg.
The proposals would replace the current quota system, introduced seven years ago and set to expire in 2026, which officials now consider outdated. One EU source warned that failing to act could have been “fatal” for Europe’s steel sector.
Brussels hopes the new plan will also help secure the removal of the US’s 50% tariff on EU steel by signalling a united stance against unfair Chinese trade practices.
However, the UK steel industry fears devastating consequences. Gareth Stace, Director General of UK Steel, said the EU’s decision to double tariffs represents “the biggest crisis the UK steel industry has ever faced.” He urged the British government to introduce its own protective measures to shield domestic producers from a potential surge in global steel redirected from the US and EU markets. Such an influx, he warned, “could be terminal for many of our remaining steel companies.”
Alasdair McDiarmid, Assistant General Secretary of the steelworkers’ union Community, echoed these concerns, describing the EU’s measures as “an existential threat” to Britain’s steel sector.
