Activity in the EU’s Common Customs Tariff on 2 June was dominated by trade defence measures, which accounted for the vast majority of nearly 3,000 detected changes. The day's headline movements included the expiration of anti-dumping duties on a range of chemical products from China and other origins, as well as on trout from Türkiye. Concurrently, new zero-duty tariff quotas for various South Korean steel products came into force, while regulators also loaded future-dated anti-dumping duties on steel from Türkiye, signalling ongoing recalibration in the sector.
The themes
Trade defence was the overwhelming theme on 2 June, driving over 80% of the day's tariff modifications. The activity was heavily concentrated in the iron and steel sector, which saw more than 2,000 updates across Chapters 72 and 73. A key trend was the formal expiration of several long-standing anti-dumping measures, primarily affecting chemical and fish imports, suggesting a period of regulatory review and potential market normalisation for those specific goods.
Headline items
Several notable anti-dumping measures expired on 1 June, liberalising trade for specific products. These included duties on:
- Various presentations of trout from Türkiye.
- Adipic acid from China.
- Butyl acrylate (BA) and 2-ethylhexyl acrylate (2EHA) from China, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, and the United States.
- Alkyl phosphonic acids from China.
In a separate action, an anti-dumping duty on Acesulfame potassium, an artificial sweetener from China, was updated with a new specific duty rate of 4.58 EUR per kilogram for certain exporters, effective 1 June.
Coming into force
Over 300 measures took effect on 2 June. The most significant were a series of new zero-duty tariff quotas for South Korean imports of flat-rolled and other steel products across Chapter 72, including electrolytically plated and coated steel. New reporting requirements were also activated for certain steel fasteners originating from China.
Regulators also loaded a number of future-dated measures, including:
- Effective 1 July: New anti-dumping duty rates on certain hot-rolled flat steel products from Türkiye, with rates up to 7.3%.
- Effective 1 July: Adjustments to tariff quotas for live cattle, including heifers of the Simmental breed.
- Effective mid-June: Changes to tariff quotas for Norwegian herring.
- Effective 21 June and 1 July: Seasonal adjustments to the entry price mechanism for apricots from Lebanon.
What to watch
The simultaneous introduction of new quotas for South Korean steel and the loading of future duties on Turkish steel underscores the EU's active management of the steel market. Importers should pay close attention to the 1 July effective date for the new duties on Turkish hot-rolled flat steel, which will materially impact sourcing costs from a key supplier.