英国钢铁行业哀叹：欧盟这波比特朗普更狠

Core Viewpoint - The European Union's plan to cut steel import quotas and raise tariffs could severely impact the UK steel industry, potentially worse than the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration [1][2]. Group 1: EU Measures and Impact - The EU is reportedly preparing to reduce foreign steel import quotas by nearly half and impose tariffs as high as 50% on imports exceeding these quotas [1]. - The EU is the largest export market for UK steel, with approximately 1.9 million tons of the 4 million tons produced annually in the UK being exported to the EU, compared to only 0.2 million tons to the US [1]. - The new EU measures may not only directly affect UK steel exports but could also lead to trade diversion, with steel originally destined for the EU being redirected to the UK market, exacerbating the challenges faced by the UK steel industry [1]. Group 2: Industry Reactions - UK Steel's Chief Commercial Officer, Lisa Coulson, expressed deep concern over the potential measures, indicating that they could exclude UK producers from their largest export market, especially as the industry is already struggling with a 25% tariff from the US [1]. - Carmen Suarez, CEO of the UK Trade Remedies Authority, emphasized the significance of the EU's actions for the UK steel industry and the Department for Business and Trade [1][2]. - Industry insiders described the EU's planned measures as potentially one of the "greatest disasters" in the history of the UK steel industry, equating it to cutting off half of their largest market [5]. Group 3: Broader Context and Relations - The EU's actions may undermine recent efforts to repair relations between London and Brussels, as there has been no prior communication from the EU to the UK government regarding these measures [4]. - The proposed measures align with a previous proposal from France, which received support from the European Steel Industry Association and 11 EU countries [4][5]. - The EU's trade commissioner has indicated that strong protective measures are necessary in light of the current US tariffs, reflecting a broader push to safeguard the European steel industry [5]. Group 4: UK Government's Position - The UK government has not yet released its steel strategy for the year but has committed to investing up to £2.5 billion to revitalize the steel industry and explore stronger trade measures to protect UK producers from unfair practices [6].