The initiative will allow the UK to export up to 27,000 tonnes of steel to the EU per quarter, tariff-free, restoring its quota to pre-2022 levels.
The EU will remove tariffs on key British steel products under a quota system starting 1 August 2025, as part of a recent agreement to ease trade barriers and reset post-Brexit relations between the UK and the EU.
This move restores the UK’s country-specific steel quota to pre-2022 levels, allowing Britain to export up to 27,000 tonnes of steel to the EU each quarter without paying additional tariffs.
The tariff removal follows a May agreement marking the most significant reset of defence and trade ties between the UK and the EU since Brexit. The arrangement includes a bespoke provision aimed at protecting UK steel exports from new EU rules and tariffs, ensuring greater stability and predictability for British steel producers.
Meanwhile, negotiations between the UK and the United States to remove steel tariffs remain unresolved. British steel exports to the US currently face a 25% tariff and have avoided an increase to 50% through a May agreement.
However, talks have stalled amid disagreements over supply chain regulations and criteria regarding where British steel is “melted and poured.”
