EU steel safeguards cap duty-free imports across covered categories at 18.3 million tonnes a year, with a 50% duty on volumes above the relevant quota. The European Commission says the rules took effect on July 1, 2026, adding a trade requirement for Serbian steel exporters alongside the EU’s carbon rules.
Representatives of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce identified emerging EU trade barriers as a challenge for exporters at the MEPS 2026 conference. The safeguards and the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) have different goals, but together increase the importance of accurate product classification, origin records and emissions data for companies selling into the European Union.
The 50% duty does not automatically apply to all Serbian steel exports. Its impact on a shipment depends on its product category, access to the relevant quota, origin and customs treatment. Companies need product-specific legal analysis before assuming the measures will directly increase their costs.
CBAM’s definitive phase began on January 1, 2026, and covers selected imports of iron and steel, aluminium, cement, fertilisers, electricity and hydrogen. The EU requirements are part of a wider shift in European industrial policy, according to the concerns raised at the conference.
CBAM obligations fall on the EU importer or authorised declarant. Producers outside the bloc may need to provide accurate emissions and production evidence for import declarations and commercial claims. Importers may use permitted default values or verified actual emissions where the rules allow, and the first annual declarations for imports made in 2026 are due in 2027.
Reliable installation-level emissions data can become a commercial differentiator for Serbian suppliers, as buyers seek assurances about delivery economics as well as environmental information. Industrial exporters should assess customs classification, quota exposure, contract price adjustment, emissions boundaries and the identity of the EU declarant separately.
Carbon-related paperwork cannot replace compliance with quota rules, while quota entitlement does not remove CBAM reporting and payment obligations where applicable. The combined requirements create a more complex competitive landscape for Serbian industry. Firms seeking to protect margins will need to provide independently scrutinised evidence of product origin, manufacturing processes, energy inputs and emissions characteristics.
