UK Says EU Junking Tariffs On Steel Under Quota

The European Union will remove tariffs on key UK steel products under a quota system beginning Friday, as part of a broader reset in EU–UK trade relations, Reuters' Alistair Smout reported.

The agreement included a “bespoke arrangement” to shield UK steel exports from new EU rules and punitive tariffs. I Photo: British Steel UK X 

In May, Britain and the EU agreed to the most significant reset of defense and trade ties since Brexit.

The agreement included a “bespoke arrangement” to shield UK steel exports from new EU rules and punitive tariffs. While the UK government previously stated that the European Commission would restore country-specific steel quotas to pre-2022 levels, no start date had been confirmed—until now.

Trade Minister Jonathan Reynolds called the move “yet another positive step forward for the UK steel sector,” following the government’s intervention to save jobs at British Steel and a separate deal to avoid the harshest U.S. steel tariffs.

“Restoring our steel quota helps give producers the certainty they need to compete, grow, and maintain vital export relationships,” Reynolds said.

Under the agreement, the UK can now export up to 27,000 tons of steel to the EU each quarter without facing additional tariffs.