South African steel exporters could face tighter access to the European Union market from July 1 following the introduction of lower duty-free import quotas and higher tariffs on shipments exceeding those quotas.
The measures were published in the Official Journal of the European Union on June 24 as Regulation (EU) 2026/1384. They replace the EU's steel safeguard measures, which expire on June 30, with a new tariff-rate quota (TRQ) system that the European Commission says is intended to address the effects of global steel overcapacity.
Under the regulation, steel imports will continue to enter the EU duty-free within allocated tariff-rate quotas. However, imports exceeding those quotas will attract a 50% tariff, up from the previous 25% safeguard duty.
The regulation also introduces a "melt and pour" requirement, requiring importers to declare the country in which the steel was originally produced. The European Union said the measure was intended to improve traceability and reduce the risk of circumvention.
The regulation establishes the legal framework for the new import regime but does not allocate quota volumes to individual exporting countries. Those country-specific allocations are expected to be published separately by the European Commission in an implementing act.
