The European Commission, when developing new steel import restrictions, will exempt Ukraine’s steel exports to the EU, the commission’s spokesperson Paula Pinho said on Monday, May 18.
“Ukraine remains an important exporter of steel to the EU, and so what we are working towards is to see that Ukraine receives the country-specific quota, guaranteeing that its steel exports to the EU can continue, even if it may be at a level lower than in the past years. And we will, in the discussions and in the decision regarding the exact quota, obviously, taking into account the very specific and challenging situation of Ukraine,” Pinho said at a briefing in Brussels.
European media previously reported that the EU intends to reduce steel import quotas by 47% and impose a 50% tariff on imports above this limit, effective July 1. With respect to the volume of imported steel, the planned EU restrictions mainly affect China, a leading exporter of steel to Europe.
