Japanese steel industry criticizes new EU import regime and trade measures

According to a joint statement released by the Japan Ferrous Metallurgy Federation, the Japan Special Steel Association, the Japan Stainless Steel Association, the Japan Wire Products Association and the Non-Integrated Steel Manufacturers Association, the new steel import regime in the European Union, which entered into force on July 1, 2026, has significantly tightened market access for Japanese steel products.

The associations said that after the expiration of the EU Steel Protective Measures introduced in July 2018, the bloc replaced them with a new system that halves the total tariff quotas (TRQs) available under the previous protective regime. and increases the tariff rate outside the quota to 50 percent. As a result, the quota for a specific country was reduced to about 800,000 tons, which is much lower than the average annual steel exports to the EU, which amounted to about 1.5 million tons in the period 2022-2024.

Associations criticize EU anti-dumping actions

The statement also mentions the EU's anti-dumping investigation, which began in August. In 2024, hot-rolled flat products from Japan, Egypt, India and Vietnam will be imported. The associations argued that, despite a significant decline in Japanese exports following the tightening of previous protective measures in July 2024, the EU imposed final anti-dumping duties in September 2025, without properly taking into account the trade-restrictive effect of these protective measures.

In addition, the associations expressed concern about a separate anti-dumping investigation launched in September 2025 concerning imports of cold-rolled flat products from Japan, India, Taiwan, Turkey and Vietnam. They warned that the investigation could similarly lead to the imposition of anti-dumping duties without adequately considering the impact of enhanced protective measures on import volumes.

Industry urges to continue negotiations with the EU

Japanese steel industry associations have called a number of EU trade measures inappropriate and regrettable, especially given the existence of the Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). They noted that the Report published in June on Japan's compliance with trade agreements for 2026 by major trading partners also raised concerns about the potential inconsistency of EU measures with WTO and EPA rules between Japan and the EU.

According to the associations, EU trade measures have become an obstacle to steel trade between Japan and Europe, creating additional