Steel: US tariffs hit Europe

Since march 12th 2025, US tariffs of 25% on foreign steel and aluminum have hit the European steel industry hard.

Immediate consequence: one million tonnes of steel lost to export for the European Union, representing 2 billion euros less in sales, according to the EUROFER association. And this is already translating into reduced production capacity and job losses in Europe.

For the USA, too, the bill is high. The local industry does not produce all the ranges of steel needed for its market. As a result, “costs for American users rise mechanically by 25%” when they can’t source locally.

American consumers pay the price for this protectionist policy. A policy which, according to European manufacturers, runs counter to the initial objectives: to revive the American steel industry, but at the cost of increased industrial inflation.

Europe is now calling for a firm response from Brussels, to defend its interests and avoid a lasting loss of competitiveness.

To sum up: by targeting the European steel industry, the United States is undermining its own industrial consumer sectors and fuelling an inflationary spiral in its economy.

source: Euronews