EU Steel and Metals Action Plan - Timeline

(a)

the urgent tabling of a new and comprehensive trade measure to replace the current steel safeguard before its expiry on 1 July 2026, covering all countries and all steel products affected by global overcapacity, and using the tariff-rate quota system linked to import market share and domestic capacity utilisation, in order to avoid harming downstream users while maintaining sector viability;

(b)

the immediate introduction of a ‘melted and poured’ rule to effectively combat circumvention and enhance the traceability of steel origin, as well as selective suspension of the ‘lesser duty’ rule;

(c)

the release of the legislative proposal on the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), with provisions to retain free allowances for exports to non-EU countries lacking comparable climate commitments. The proposal should establish robust default emissions values to discourage resource shuffling and uphold the environmental goals of the CBAM, as well as expand the CBAM’s scope to cover downstream, steel-intensive sectors;

(d)

the swift adoption of the Omnibus I proposal (1) to protect SMEs from unnecessary administrative and cost burdens under the CBAM whilst ensuring that environmental and social objectives are not undermined;

(e)

the Commission to recognise the strategic role of metal scrap as a secondary raw material and to propose a robust monitoring system for scrap exports. This should include measures such as export duties or tariff quotas to secure domestic supply, strengthened enforcement against illegal scrap exports and the integration of ferrous scrap recycling into end-of-life product legislation;

(f)

the adoption of secondary legislation – within the implementation of the Waste Shipment Regulation – to ensure that only waste exports to countries meeting EU-equivalent environmental and social standards are allowed;

(g)

structural reform of the electricity market and a comprehensive impact assessment of alternative market designs in order to transfer the costs benefits of clean electricity to both households and industrial consumers;

(h)

the introduction, under the Clean Industrial State Aid Framework (CISAF), of specific guidance for Member States on implementing temporary energy price relief schemes for energy-intensive industries exposed to international trade;

(i)

it to be possible for a predefined share of subsidised electricity from power purchase agreements (PPAs) to be provided at cost-plus pricing to selected energy-intensive industries, through new guidelines on PPAs and contracts for difference (CfDs);

(j)

the Commission to prioritise hydrogen access for industrial users by allocating dedicated sectoral budgets within future Hydrogen Bank auctions, to revise the Delegated Act on Renewable Hydrogen to enable cost-effective domestic production, and to swiftly adopt a delegated act on low-carbon hydrogen. Additionally, green electricity criteria should be made more flexible to facilitate faster hydrogen roll-out;

(k)

a proposal on ambitious resilience and sustainability criteria to strengthen the production of EU-made clean products, involving quality jobs, as part of the Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act;

(l)

the Commission to assess the investment and funding needs of the steel and metals industries, and to consider increased and dedicated financial support, accompanied by social conditionalities where relevant, including via the earmarking and channelling of financial resources under the CBAM to covered sectors as well as by directing EU ETS revenues towards supporting industrial scale projects in the steel and metals industries, including via the upcoming Industrial Decarbonisation Bank;

(m)

the introduction of a dedicated Just Transition Fund for energy-intensive industries, with a focus on up-skilling and reskilling programmes and mobility support to help workers transition between regions and sectors; and

(n)

effective involvement of the social partners in all green transition policies, backed by clear commitments to promote social dialogue, collective bargaining, and applicable health and safety standards in the workplace.