18 March 2026 – Following the European Union, the United Kingdom now also appears to be preparing the introduction of steel tariffs of up to 50 percent – but with a sense of proportion? Thyssenkrupp seeks to mobilize mayors to exert pressure on Berlin.
United Kingdom Plans 50% Steel Tariffs – With a Sense of Proportion?
Following the European Union, the United Kingdom now also appears to be preparing the introduction of steel tariffs of up to 50 percent. According to consistent reports from multiple media outlets, the British government is also planning import quotas for steel products.
London is clearly aligning itself with the measures announced by the European Union, but also points to comparable steps taken in North America.
London Showing a Sense of Proportion When it Comes to Steel Tariffs?
However, a key difference from the Brussels approach is emerging: for certain steel products that are not produced in the United Kingdom, or not in sufficient quantities, exemptions are to be introduced.
This indicates a significantly higher degree of differentiation than that shown by the European Commission, which to this day has failed to adequately take into account that steel is a highly diversified product with very different qualities, specifications, and applications.
Details of the British measures are not yet known. The official presentation of the proposal is expected on 19 March 2026.
Thyssenkrupp Seeks to Mobilize Mayors
For decades, Thyssenkrupp has attempted to address its structural problems through ever new restructuring programs and transformation processes – and has repeatedly failed in doing so. Most recently, according to media reports, the planned sale of its struggling steel division to an Indian group also appeared to be at risk of collapse.
Now, the company’s leadership is pursuing a new approach in its lobbying efforts: mobilizing mayors in the Ruhr region – not towards Brussels, but directly against the federal government in Berlin. At its core, as so often, is the demand for stricter trade protection measures to fend off alleged cheap imports from Asia at the EU’s external borders.
The Other Side of the Coin
What the Duisburg-based group consistently fails to mention: the revenues of European steel producers have increased by more than 72 percent since 2021. Some producers have even recorded record profits during this period. These figures are difficult to reconcile with the image of an industry that cannot survive without additional state protection.
The fact that a company which has not made money with steel for years is now using the municipal level as a lever of pressure reveals above all one thing: Duisburg sees no other way out. What will happen to the numerous steel-processing companies along the Rhine and Ruhr, which would have to bear the consequences of higher steel prices with their own competitiveness, remains unanswered, despite all the local political concern.
As if the steelmakers of the Ruhr region did not already have sufficient lobbying support behind them.
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