The impact of the new EU trade barriers on imports is still difficult to assess objectively: the statistics were significantly affected by the stocks created in advance. At the same time, the mood in the market as a whole remains cautiously positive, the panelists said at the opening of the forum and exhibition Future Mining Forum and Expo in Katowice on Tuesday.
At the same time, according to them, the lack of protection at the secondary stages of the supply chain can create risks for the European industry.
Miroslav Motyka, President of the Polish Steel Manufacturers Association (HIPH), noted that too little time had passed for a full assessment of the effects of the CBAM mechanism and the new TRQ tariff quota system. According to him, steel imports to the EU decreased by 2% year-on-year in the six months after the introduction of CBAM, but this is primarily due to a reduction in the production of long products. At the same time, steel consumption from China increased by 30%, despite anti-dumping measures.
He added that Poland imported 1.2 million tons of steel in the first half of 2026, which is 6% less than a year earlier. For comparison, more than 1.4 million tons were imported into the country in the fourth quarter of 2025 alone. This may mean that the reduction in imports to the EU is not so much due to the effect of CBAM, but rather to the fact that importers increased stocks in advance to prevent a shortage of materials after the mechanism was launched.
Motyka acknowledged that the consequences of CBAM are not yet obvious.
"We see certain restrictions, redirection of flows, some pressure on volumes. Competition has intensified: there are more countries claiming a smaller market share," he said.
He also noted that the restrictions are valid for only two months. During this time, the import of slabs, which are not subject to the new rules, has increased significantly, mainly from Brazil.
Adam Preiss, chief financial Officer of ArcelorMittal Poland (AMP), said the new measures were "cautiously optimistic." According to him, CBAM and TRQ "may not be perfect, but they work."
Preiss recalled that this year ArcelorMittal restarted blast furnaces in Poland, France and Spain, which indicates a revival of the market, although this in itself does not mean an improvement in demand. According to him, some of the imports are being replaced by domestic production.
Another topic of discussion was the possible extension of CBAM to recycled steel products. Executive Director of Cognor Przemyslaw Sztuczkowski said he was in favor of such a measure and lobbied for its introduction.
He gave an example of a set of keys and tools made of steel, which in Poland can be purchased online at a price comparable to the cost of scrap steel.
"This is a drama, it's a mockery of the EU and all its rules," he said.
According to Shtuchkovsky, without the immediate extension of CBAM to products, where to steel components