The Commission has split the new steel tariff quota between FTA partners and an open quota.

Published text and date of application

The European Commission published an implementing regulation on 30 June 2026 concerning tariff quotas applicable to steel imports, according to Borderlex . The same article states that the text divides the new volume exempt from additional duties between a share reserved for countries with a free trade agreement with the Union and a share open to all trading partners .

Reuters, as carried by Kitco, presents these rules as the Union's new system for limiting duty-free steel imports . The article states that the rules enter into force on the Wednesday following that publication; as the regulation was published on 30 June 2026, that date corresponds to 1 July 2026 . The Kyiv Independent also cites an entry into force on 1 July 2026 for the Union's new steel allocation .

The Kyiv Independent refers to a publication in the Official Journal under reference OJ:L_202601457; the extract available in the file does not reproduce the full official text associated with that reference .

Annual volume and out-of-quota duty

Reuters states that annual duty-free steel import quotas in the Union are cut by 47%, to 18.3 million metric tonnes, under the new system presented by the European Commission . The Kyiv Independent also mentions a 47% reduction and describes a restriction of duty-free steel imports to 18.3 million metric tonnes per year .

Reuters states that an out-of-quota duty of 50% is being introduced for 26 categories of steel products imported into the Union . The Guardian reports that the Union planned to cut duty-exempt imports by 47% compared with 2024 levels from 1 July 2026, and to double duties to 50% for imports made outside those quotas .

The two articles do not give the same scope of categories covered: Reuters mentions 26 categories of steel products , while The Guardian mentions 28 categories, ranging from rolled steels used in the automotive industry to bars used in construction to reinforce concrete .

Allocation between agreement partners and the open quota

The European Commission published an implementing regulation on 30 June 2026 concerning tariff quotas applicable to steel imports, according to Borderlex . The outlet states that the text reserves half of the new volume exempt from additional duties for countries with a free trade agreement with the Union . It adds that the other half remains open to all trading partners .

Reuters, as carried by Kitco, describes the same sharing structure and specifies that the second half is accessible to all trading partners, including those with a free trade agreement . The agency states that many partners will receive country-specific quotas proportionate to their historical volumes . Reuters reports that, according to the Commission, a significant number of partners have provisionally accepted these allocations .

The Guardian states that quotas allocated to countries linked by a free trade agreement are based on 2022 to 2024 trade data . The outlet lists thirteen countries covered by these specific conditions: the United Kingdom, Turkey, India, South Korea, Indonesia, Egypt, Brazil, Switzerland, North Macedonia, South Africa, Argentina, Ukraine and Singapore .

National data cited and documentary limits

The Kyiv Independent states that the country-specific quotas allocated to Ukraine under the new arrangement total 1.05 million metric tonnes per year . The outlet adds that this volume represents less than half of Ukraine's steel trade with the EU in 2024 . It also cites a 79% share for the Union in Ukraine's total steel exports . According to the same article, Ukraine exported 2.215 million metric tonnes of finished steel to the Union in 2024, based on an Eurofer report cited by The Kyiv Independent .

Reuters, as carried by Kitco, reports that the Commission referred to a large number of partners having provisionally accepted these allocations . The available extract does not provide the full list of those partners . The Guardian lists thirteen countries associated with specific conditions: the United Kingdom, Turkey, India, South Korea, Indonesia, Egypt, Brazil, Switzerland, North Macedonia, South Africa, Argentina, Ukraine and Singapore . The authorised sources for this section do not reproduce the full official regulation or the detailed annex of quotas by category and by country .