Frankfurt am Main-The EU Commission today presented stricter trade protection instruments to support the European steel industry. IG Metall welcomes the plans as a big step in the right direction. In order to secure the jobs sustainably, in addition to a robust trade policy, additional industrial policy impulses are needed, the union warns.
“With the plans presented today, the EU Commission is sending a clear signal to take decisive action against unfair trade and dumping imports,” said Jürgen Kerner, Second Chairman of IG Metall. “This is good news for the tens of thousands of employees – not only in the steel industry itself, but also in the downstream value chains. What is now crucial is that the plan is implemented as quickly as possible, by January 2026 at the latest. We expect the federal government to campaign for this in Brussels.”
According to the plans presented today, the EU Commission wants to reduce import quotas for steel by around half. The tariffs on quantities exceeding this should be increased to 50 percent. In addition, loopholes should be closed and regulations extended to other steel products. The new package of measures is intended to replace the previous so-called safeguard regulations, which officially expire in mid-2026. IG Metall has long been campaigning for significantly stricter succession regulations for safeguards.
According to IG Metall, the regulations that are now promised offer perspectives and improved planning security for local steel companies. You can make a significant contribution to securing good industrial jobs. The measures are also an elementary pillar for European resilience and independence. The EU still does not rely on rigorous isolation or selective tariffs. Rather, it offers a corridor that continues to allow open markets, but the European steel industry protects excessively without strain on steel consumers.
IG Metall emphasizes the need for an industrial policy approach in addition to the new protective measures. Jürgen Kerner: “Commercial policy alone is not a guarantee of the survival of the European steel industry and jobs there. This includes more: Politics must strengthen the demand side through growth impulses and investment incentives. It has to ensure internationally competitive energy prices. And it has to create green lead markets so that the right of climate remodeling the industry is taking off and creating new jobs.”
The background: The German and European steel manufacturers are currently struggling with global overcapacity that, due to increasingly restrictive global trade policies, are looking for their way to Europe. This threatens tens of thousands of jobs and entire value chains in Germany and Europe. The previous SafeGuard measures represented only inadequate protection, which also expires in mid-2026.