According to an official document reviewed by Platts, the European Commission is proposing a three-year safeguard measure to reduce imports of four silicon and manganese-based alloying elements into the EU by 25% compared with the influx over the past three years.
Initially, the protective investigation, launched in December 2024, concerned the import of six ferroalloying elements: silicon, ferromanganese, ferrosilicon, ferrosilicon manganese, ferrosilicon magnesium, and calcium silicon. But silicon and calcium-silicon compounds were later excluded from the list, given the steady import of silicon and the cessation of domestic production of calcium-silicon compounds.
These measures, which will enter into force on November 18 and will be in effect until November 17, 2028, will include tariff quotas for specific products, distributed by country and product. They are set to be 25% lower than the average import volumes in 2022-2024, which will allow EU ferroalloy producers to restore their share in the domestic market to 30%-40%.
Imports under quotas will continue to be imported duty-free into the EU, while for volumes exceeding quotas, a variable duty is charged, equal to the difference between the actual import price and the price threshold, which is set at 1,316 euros/ton for ferromanganese, or 2,408 euros/ton for ferromanganese. for ferrocosilicon - 1,392 euros for ferrocosilicon manganese and 3,647 euros for ferrocosilicon magnesium.
The protective measures do not provide for a mechanism for changing the minimum price, but the volume of duty-free quotas will increase by 0.1% annually on November 18, 2026 and November 1, 2028, respectively 18, 2027.
Euroalliages, the European Association of Ferroalloys and Silicon Manufacturers, called on EU member states to support the proposed measures in a November 13 LinkedIn post.
"Without these guarantees, the European ferroalloy industry will not exist in five years. A unified approach will protect jobs, strategic autonomy and Europe's ability to lead in innovation and security," Euroalliages said.
Ferroalloys are necessary for the production of high-quality steel used in tanks, ammunition and unmanned aerial vehicles. In particular, according to Euroalliages, silicon-based alloys are crucial for semiconductors, navigation systems, wind turbines, and next-generation batteries.
A sharp increase in imports
The European Commission says that its protective measures were taken in response to a sharp increase in ferroalloy imports, which, starting in 2021, entered the EU at prices 5-17% lower than those of domestic producers.
The main results showed that imports of ferroalloys covered by the study increased from 1.14 million tons in 2019 to 1.33 million tons in 2024.
