Posted on 29 Sep 2025
The European Commission is on the verge of imposing radical duties on imports of steel from China, and introducing a “Buy European” campaign, according to media reports.
Handelsblatt reported that the Commission plans duties to the tune of 25-50% on those steel imports, as well as on steel-based products. The measures might already take effect within several weeks, in reaction to the US isolating its market, the German business daily reports citing high-ranking officials at the Commission.
“Europe has no other choice in order to find a new balance,” European Commissioner for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy Stéphane Séjourné is quoted as saying. Such measures are necessary to reinstate a balance “with partners that do not heed any rules”.
It is not clear, however, if these measures refer to the much-anticipated replacement for EU steel safeguards, which European Commissioner for Trade Maroš Šefčovič recently promised to present by mid-October, according to Eurofer (see Kallanish passim).
At the same time, the EU intends to link the awarding of public projects to a “Buy European” rule. Bridges, trains, railways, etc ought in future to be built with European low-emission steels. Industrial companies and car rental firms will be obliged by quotas to buy European-made electric cars for their fleets.
A spokeswoman for Commission industrial strategy said she could not comment on the reports at this stage. The Commission’s deputy chief spokesperson, who is in charge of trade matters and duties, did not reply to Kallanish inquiry before deadline on Friday.
Handelsblatt also noted that the Commission proposals are supported by Berlin, citing the German finance minister Lars Klingbeil as saying that Buy European “could be a way”.
Source:Kallanish
