Overview
The policy initiative analysed is the legislative file 2025/0726(COD), a proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council addressing the negative trade-related effects of global overcapacity on the Union steel market. The procedure is ongoing, with the European Parliament awaiting its position in the first reading. This analysis is based on the consolidated summary of proposed amendments from the European Parliament (document A-10-2026-0012), a report overview detailing the extent of parliamentary modifications, and data on key provisions, procedural status, institutional handling, stakeholder engagement, and media coverage.
Legislative timeline
The European Commission tabled the proposal, with the procedural narrative indicating initial Council-level coordination is underway. In the European Parliament, the file has progressed through committee work. Recent calendar events show the proposal was formally entered into the EP system on 3 February 2026, followed by a committee decision to enter interinstitutional negotiations being endorsed by the Plenary on 11 February 2026. The proposal itself was noted in the EP system on 18 February 2026. The current status is that the Parliament is finalising its first-reading position while the Council conducts its own examination.
Institutional handling
The lead committee in the European Parliament is the Committee on International Trade (INTA). Within the European Commission, the responsible Directorate-General is DG Trade, under the authority of Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič. In the Council of the European Union, the file is being handled by the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) configuration.
Stakeholder reactions
Stakeholder engagement on this file has been substantial, with 188 documented meetings held between stakeholders and EU policymakers. Of these, 150 were with Members of the European Parliament, 34 with Commissioners, and 4 with European Commission staff. These interactions involved 98 distinct organisations. The most frequently engaged stakeholders were The European Steel Association, ArcelorMittal, Gerber Steel GmbH, Ferroglobe, and Elkem Silicones France. On specific policy topics, positions varied: on circular economy, LKAB expressed opposition while EuRIC indicated support. Regarding EU industrial funding, both LKAB and EuRIC expressed opposition to the discussed approaches. On the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), Saint-Gobain PAM Canalisation advocated for expanding the mechanism's product scope to include more steel products.
Media coverage
Media reporting on the issue includes two articles from two countries. One article, from Brussels, reports that tariffs imposed by the United States have reduced EU steel exports to the U.S. by approximately 30%, leading to calls to rebalance the EU-US trade agreement. Another article, from France, covers the European Parliament's International Trade Committee adopting a draft regulation aimed at curbing the impact of global steel overproduction. The reported measures include quotas, duties, and an import ban on steel from Russia and Belarus, with the next step being negotiations with the Council.