Poland Welcomes New EU Restrictions on Ukrainian Steel Imports — Media Reports
1 July 17:15
Poland is pleased with the new rules governing steel imports into the European Union, which restrict imports from Ukraine and countries outside the EU. This is reported by "Komersant Ukrainian", citing RMF FM.
The European Commission has reduced the total duty-free quota for steel imports into the EU to 18.3 million metric tons per year—47% less than before. Imports exceeding the allocated limits will be subject to a 50% tariff. The new rules took effect on July 1.
For Poland, the most significant change was the inclusion of Ukraine in the new system of protective measures. Previously, Ukrainian steel had open access to the EU market as part of support for the country in its fight against Russian aggression. However, Warsaw argued that this exception should not be maintained.
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Poland now believes that the European Commission has taken most of its demands into account.
“Our demands have been largely met, so we are satisfied,” a Polish diplomat told reporters.
According to calculations by RMF FM journalists, the European Commission has granted Ukraine individual quotas in nine categories of steel products totaling approximately 1.05 million metric tons per year. This is more than what had been suggested by previous leaks, which indicated a figure of about 713,000 metric tons—as reported, for example, by the Financial Times. However, this is still significantly less than the approximately 2.65 million metric tons of steel products that Ukraine exported to the European Union in 2025. In practice, this means that Ukraine’s duty-free export capacity to the EU market will be reduced by approximately 60% compared to last year.
At the same time, the European Commission has taken a lenient approach toward Ukraine, given the ongoing war and the country’s status as a candidate for EU membership. As a European Commission official explains, Brussels has also granted Ukraine individual quotas in certain steel categories for which it would not normally be eligible. As a result, the new limits will cover about 70% of the historical volume of Ukrainian steel exports to the EU.
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