EU sets September 25 safeguards for electrical steel and transformer inputs

On September 18, Reuters reported that provisional EU safeguards will apply from September 25 to grain-oriented electrical steel, laminations and transformer cores, using import quotas and minimum prices of €2,800–€3,400 per metric ton within quotas and €3,500 above them. China supplied more than half of EU imports of these products in 2025, and the European Commission's investigation continues before any definitive measure requiring member-state approval. Energy, grid and industrial clients should recost projects at the component level, because the measure reaches downstream products rather than only raw steel. Transaction and procurement teams should also examine origin evidence, customs classification and price-adjustment rights before the provisional regime begins.