Welsh steel industry faces 'critical moment' amid EU tariff plans | Wales Online

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

61% : The EU remains the destination for nearly 80% of UK steel exports, including a significant share from Welsh producers.
61% : "On one hand to protect the UK domestic market and, on the other hand, to work with the EU to ensure we have the right trading interests between the two." The EU is the UK's largest steel export market, worth nearly £3bn.
54% : The UK currently imports more steel from the EU than it exports into the single market - some 3.7 million tonnes to around 1.6 million.
54% : Mr Nair called on the UK Government to design new quota systems in a similar way to the EU to safeguard steel by banishing imports, "to ensure we have a level-playing field".
53% : He has urged UK ministers to safeguard the domestic market after the EU announced plans to impose 50% tariffs on steel, double the current level of 25%, while cutting tariff-free import volumes to 18.3 million tons a year - a 47% reduction.
53% : " Mr Nair contrasted this with EU quotas of between 15% and 30% of demand before the latest announcement which will see levels reduce further.
53% : "But I'm reasonably confident that the government will also look to do things very similar to what the EU has done.
52% : It is hoped that the UK will have significant leverage to be able to negotiate a more equitable trading arrangement with the EU on steel then currently proposed.
52% : "We urge the Welsh Government's Cabinet Secretary for Economy and the Secretary of State for Wales to urgently reconsider how these local experts can be actively involved in the Board's future work."
50% : The chief executive said the first intent would be to work with the EU to secure preferential treatment and concessions as one of the bloc's biggest long-time trading partners.
49% : The OECD forecasts this to increase to 721 million tonnes by 2027, in part driven by China where steel producers receive state subsidies around ten times the OECD average.
49% : " Mr Fletcher called for action to ensure Welsh plants, such as Port Talbot and Llanwern, are not left to bear the brunt of a tariff war between Brussels and Washington - with the EU's move widely seen as a response to US tariffs.
43% : The two biggest steelmakers in Wales have warned of a major threat to the sector posed by EU plans to increase tariffs and lower the quota level for steel imported into the single market.
43% : Tata Steel's UK chief executive Rajesh Nair has warned of a "difficult" future ahead amid EU plans to slash tariff-free steel import quotas, prompting an urgent call for the UK to create a "level playing field".

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