EU steel imports to rise in 2013

According to the Economic and Steel Market Outlook 2012-2013/Q1 2012 Report from the Economic Committee of the European Steel Association, in the second half of 2011 EU steel imports gradually decreased.



In 2011, EU steel imports increased by 27%, while the share of imports in the EU steel market was 19%.

In the third quarter of 2011, flat steel imports grew by 17%, while long steel products recorded a 22% increase, both compared to the same period of the previous year.



Regarding import volumes, although the Russian Federation and Ukraine accounted for a larger share in total EU imports than China, China accounted for 60% of total organic coated sheet imports.

However, the EU has started an antidumping investigation and filed a countervailing duty complaint on organic coated sheet imports from China.



In 2012, a decrease of almost 11% is expected in EU steel imports, but an anticipated mild improvement in EU steel demand in 2013 will reverse this trend, leading to a rise in imports of close to 6%.