The Association notes that the growth is mainly due to the exceptionally low base of previous years, rather than a recovery in demand: even taking into account the expected growth in steel consumption in Europe, it will remain at a level significantly below the pre-pandemic level - by about 11 million tons in 2026 and 9 million tons in 2027.
In 2025, according to preliminary data from the European Steel Manufacturers Association, apparent steel consumption increased by 2.4%, to 132 million tons. The share of imports in 2025 in the EU countries amounted to 29% of total consumption, which is 2 percentage points higher than in 2024.
