30% Decline in Steel Exports from the European Union to the United States
European Union steel exports to the United States declined by 30% in 2025 under the pressure of Washington’s 50% tariffs. With negotiations between Brussels and Washington remaining at a standstill, there are no clear signs of a recovery in this downward trend.
According to recent Eurostat data compiled by Eurofer, the Brussels-based industry association, European steel shipments to the United States declined by 30% between June and December 2025 compared with the same period a year earlier.
This decline highlights the impact of the United States’ 50% tariffs on European Union steel, even though the EU and the U.S. signed a trade agreement in July 2025 establishing a general 15% tariff on EU goods. However, steel was excluded from that agreement, and negotiations to reduce the specific duties on steel remain stalled.
Axel Eggert, Director General of Eurofer, stated:
“A 30% decline in steel exports to the United States in just six months is a clear indication that the heavy 50% tariffs imposed by the U.S. administration on European Union steel are harming our industry.”
He added:
“The U.S. decision to include downstream European Union steel products, such as machinery, will have a very significant negative impact on us and on our European customers.”
Washington imposed a 50% tariff on European Union steel and aluminum in June 2025, and in August expanded the scope of these measures to cover more than 400 steel and aluminum products.
Steel Negotiations Under the EU–U.S. Trade Agreement Implementation Framework
The United States has described these tariffs as a safeguard against the excess production capacity of China, which is saturating global markets, including Europe.
With the growing redirection of Chinese exports from the China toward the European Union, the European Commission proposed on 7 October 2025 to halve the volume of steel allowed to enter the Union duty-free and to impose a 50% tariff on imports exceeding the annual quota of 18.3 million tons.
The proposal must be approved by the EU legislature. Meanwhile, Brussels hopes to resume negotiations with Washington to achieve lower tariffs on European steel exports.
However, U.S. negotiators have conditioned the resumption of any talks on the implementation of the previous summer’s trade agreement between the European Union and the United States, reached between Ursula von der Leyen and Donald Trump.
Under the agreement, the EU accepted to reduce its tariffs on U.S. goods to zero in exchange for accepting a 15% tariffon its exports to the United States.
Given that the EU legislative process still requires approval from member states and lawmakers, Washington’s patience is wearing thin. After European legislators introduced amendments that could further complicate negotiations with European capitals, the risk of escalating tensions has increased.
The European Parliament is scheduled to vote on the agreement in March to help smooth the path for negotiations with EU member states.
Negotiations were also suspended by the European Union after the United States threatened in January to annex Greenland from Denmark through military means. Although Washington later softened its rhetoric, the issue caused delays in the dialogue process. In addition, continued U.S. lobbying for less stringent European digital regulatory rules has created further obstacles to the negotiations.
Source: euronews
