Supply stability has become one of the top priorities for stainless steel buyers in 2026, as trade protection measures are being strengthened in the EU and the United Kingdom.
Kaye Ayoub, Head of the European Parliament's Price Analysis and Forecasts Department, and Michelle Kirton, a leading steel market analyst, highlighted the declining impact of demand on steel prices in their remarks at the annual conference of the British Stainless Steel Manufacturers Association (BSSA).
Ayub said, "Over the past 12 months, we have witnessed governments around the world paying more attention to trade protection measures. We have seen tariffs, quotas, carbon-based trade measures, and in particular, the United States is pursuing its highly protectionist approach."
Speaking at a conference on June 11 in Leeds, UK, Kirton highlighted the uncertainty surrounding the replacement of the UK's protective measures, which are due to be put into effect on July 1 under the new mechanism for the EU. The plans of the Ministry of Business and Trade include reducing tariff quotas in the country by 60% and doubling the tariff exceeding the quota to 50%. It is noteworthy that these measures will also impose restrictions on the import of long products made of stainless steel. This proposal has sparked lobbying among steel distributors and end-users, who are concerned that domestic production will not be able to meet demand.
Speaking at the BSSA conference, Kirton said that "not all products will be affected equally." However, she added that the application of special requirements for the import of rolled products by British buyers from July 1 would mean "a reduction in the ability to find suppliers, reduced flexibility and, possibly, a reduction in supplies."
Kirton said the prospect of increased trade restrictions has already shifted stainless steel buyers' purchasing priorities towards supply stability across Europe, despite declining demand. "Demand and price are still important, but they no longer have a major impact on many buyers' purchasing decisions," said Kirton, who researched the impact of EU trade restrictions on stainless steel prices in this month's issue of the magazine./ / /gb/en/news/podcast-trade-policies-define-european-stainless-market-trends.
"Prices are rising, but supplies are declining. We have low demand in the UK and Europe, but relatively more stable in the USA. And despite higher prices, sentiment remains cautious in the second half of this year."
Ayub spoke about the impact of emission-based import taxes in connection with the introduction of CBAM in the EU in January this year, and similar CBAM mechanisms in the UK and Norway starting in January 2027. She said that the combination of trade measures
