The EU has banned Russia-origin pig iron imports from 2026, as part of its 12th Russia sanctions package. Imports between now and end-2024 will be restricted to a quota of 1.14 million tonnes, and from 1 January 2025-31 December 2025 to a quota of 700,000t.

Direct reduced/hot-briquetted iron imports from Russia have also been prohibited and given quotas for the same periods of 1.14mt and 651,906t respectively, Kallanish notes.

Ferroalloy imports from Russia have also been prohibited, but contracts signed before 19 December 2023 can be executed until 20 December 2024.

While Russia-origin billet imports will be prohibited effective 1 April 2024, slab import quotas have been extended until 2028. These are 3.186mt for the period from 1 October 2024-30 September 2025, 2.998mt for the following 12 months, then 2.624mt for the next period, and finally 2.061mt for the 12 months through September 2028.

Moreover, import quotas for Russia-origin other than stainless alloy semis under HS code 722490 have been extended till 2028. These total 124,956t for 1 October 2024-30 September 2025, 117,606t for the next period, then 102,905t and finally 80,854t for the 12 months through September 2028.

To the prohibition of importing steel when processed in a third country incorporating iron and steel products originating in Russia, the latest sanctions document also adds a new line: “unless the product is imported from a partner country for importation of iron and steel”.

As part of the new sanctions package, the EU has added Switzerland to a list of partner countries which apply a set of restrictive measures on imports of iron and steel from Russia.

Moreover, authorities may authorise the import of products “under such conditions as they deem appropriate” if necessary for civil nuclear capabilities and construction of civil nuclear facilities. Or for the production of medical radioisotopes and similar medical applications, or critical technology for environmental radiation monitoring, the European Commission notes.

“These measures restrict imports from Russia of certain goods where Russia has been increasing its volume of exports to the EU. For some of these metal goods, in particular for steel raw materials, those measures will apply in full after a transitional period of 12 months for executing existing contracts, or after a two-year period where a certain volume of imports would still be authorised to allow EU companies the necessary time to find alternative sources of supply,” the Commission says in its Q&A notes.

The slab quota extension “takes into account the very specific needs of parts of the EU steel industry, which require a longer period for alternative suppliers to build their full production capacity needed to replace Russian inputs,” it adds.