Participants at the 19th Arab Steel Summit in Cairo warned that rising protectionism and tighter international trade rules are making conditions more difficult for steel producers across the Arab world. They cited excess capacity, dumping and subsidies, as well as the diversion of exports to less protected markets, as major risks.
Afaf Ezz, an executive at Ezz Steel, said Egyptian imports of steel billets rose 1,213% from 2021 to 2024, while hot-rolled coil imports increased 116%. Egypt’s steel exports fell 25% in 2025, resulting in estimated losses of about $600 million, she said. Restrictions in the US and EU are redirecting shipments to markets with fewer safeguards and adding pressure on domestic producers.
EU imports of semi-finished steel rose from 6.62 million tonnes in 2024 to 8.91 million tonnes in 2025. Ezz warned that semi-finished products could be used to circumvent restrictions on finished steel. Egypt’s domestic market is also under pressure: annual combined consumption of rebar and flat steel fell from 9.6 million tonnes in 2015 to 8.6 million tonnes in 2025.
Egyptian hot-rolled coil exports to the EU are expected to face a quota of about 400,000 tonnes, roughly half of previous shipment volumes. Ezz also put Egypt’s trade deficit with Europe at €7.7 billion in 2025 and called for more balanced trade and stronger regional cooperation.
Sven de Knop, a partner at Sidley, said the EU had stepped up its use of trade defense measures. The bloc launched 32 new investigations in each of 2024 and 2025, compared with an annual average of about 12 between 2016 and 2023. It introduced 26 new measures in 2025, almost three times the annual average for 2016–2024.
De Knop said the EU was tightening its approach to anti-dumping and countervailing duties, including the use of alternative cost benchmarks where significant market distortions exist and investigations into subsidies granted outside the exporting country. Steel exporters may also be affected by tighter import restrictions, a possible extension of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) to downstream products, and new rules on forced labour and industrial sustainability.
Lina Abourous of Forward Global urged producers to engage early with European policymakers, build ties with local partners and present their case directly to EU institutions in Brussels. The next five to ten years would be particularly important for the industry, she said. Panelists also stressed the need for regional coordination and effective measures to protect domestic markets.
The discussion took place at the summit in Cairo on November 3–4. Its moderator, Cairo University economics professor Mona El-Garf, highlighted excess capacity, dumping and subsidies, particularly in relation to China. Yomna El-Shabrawy of Egypt’s Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade outlined how authorities assess domestic industry complaints and conduct trade remedy investigations.
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