Ukraine-based seamless stainless steel pipe producer Centravis will place its Uzhhorod facility into conservation mode from September 1, 2026, citing the EU's new steel import quota regime effective July 1, which sharply reduced tariff-free quotas and raised out-of-quota duties to 50%. The company expects the revised quota system to reduce its European sales by approximately 50%, making it economically unjustifiable to operate both its Nikopol and Uzhhorod production sites. Employees will remain on payroll during the conservation period, with the facility maintained for potential resumption. The Uzhhorod plant, commissioned in 2023 to diversify production risks away from the frontline city of Nikopol, currently employs around 130 people. Centravis plans to consolidate production at Nikopol despite ongoing security challenges in the region.

The UK Business Secretary is set to meet the EU Trade Commissioner in Brussels, raising concerns over the EU's plan to cut duty-free steel import quotas for non-EU countries by 47% from 2024 levels, effective July 1. The move threatens UK steel exports significantly. Meanwhile, the EU steel association has pushed back against the UK's own quota reductions, with products including hot-rolled coil, tinplate, and rebar at risk. Both sides are tightening steel trade protections in response to Chinese competition and global overcapacity, but the quota adjustments risk deepening bilateral trade friction.

[SMM Steel] Ukraine’s steel industry warned that the EU’s planned steel safeguard revisions could significantly reduce the country’s export revenues and damage its wartime economy. Under the new measures effective from July 1, the EU plans to cut steel import quotas by 47% and impose a 50% tariff on out-of-quota volumes. Ukrainian steelmakers said the restrictions could sharply limit access to their largest export market, as Ukraine exported around 2.65 million mt of steel to the EU last year. Industry sources estimated the proposed quota reductions could cut export volumes by around 70% and result in up to €1 billion in lost export revenues.