In the first half of this year, the European Union reduced its steel exports to third countries by 20% year-on-year. This is shown by the latest report from the European Steel Association (EUROFER), Economic and Steel Market Outlook 2026–2027 (third quarter).

Exports of finished steel products fell significantly (-18% year-on-year) as a result of a decline in shipments of both flat and long steel products – by 19% and 15% year-on-year, respectively.

In the second quarter of 2026, total exports also fell – by 14% year-on-year – as did exports of finished products (-13% year-on-year). Meanwhile, exports of flat and long steel products to third countries fell by 16% and 6% respectively over the period.

The main destinations for steel exports from the EU in the first half of this year were the United Kingdom, Turkey, the United States, Switzerland and India. Together, these countries accounted for 64% of total exports of finished steel products from the bloc.

Exports to all major markets fell sharply in January–June. In particular, shipments to the US fell by 29% year-on-year, to India by 24%, to Turkey by 21%, to China by 18%, and to the UK by 7%. At the same time, exports to Brazil rose by 3% year-on-year over the period, and those to Norway by 1% year-on-year.

“The 20% drop in exports is a worrying sign of the pressure facing the European steel industry. Combined with production at historically low levels and persistently high energy costs, this suggests that Europe’s industrial recovery is far from guaranteed,” said Axel Eggert, Director General of EUROFER.

He added that the EU’s new trade defence measures are an important first step. This progress should be consolidated through industrial revitalisation that spans different regions and the entire production and distribution chain, bringing manufacturing, investment and high-quality jobs back to Europe.

As reported by GMK Center, EU steel companies reduced exports of long steel products to third countries by 13.5% in 2025 compared with 2024, to 5.50 million tonnes. Following growth of 3.6% year-on-year in 2024 and 4.6% in 2023, the figure returned to a downward trend. The main pressure on exports came from a reduction in supplies of basic types of these products to key foreign markets.