UK steel exports to EU at risk as bloc doubles tariffs and halves quotas

A steelworker tends the blast furnace at ThyssenKrupp in Duisburg, Germany. The EU has hailed it decision as a ‘victory for our steel mills, our steelworkers and our industrial sovereignty’. Photograph: Friedemann Vogel/EPA

The EU is to go ahead with plans to double tariffs and halve quotas on imports of steel from July, in a move designed to curb Chinese imports but which could damage UK exports to the bloc.

The decision by EU lawmakers and member states after late night talks on Monday, will reduce duty-free quotas by 47%. Exact country allocations have yet to be determined.