EU: European Commission announces surveillance of imports and exports of metal scrap
Part of Steel and Metal Action Plan (SMAP) adopted on March 19, 2025
The European Commission (EC) on July 23, 2025, announced that it has activated the customs surveillance system to monitor the import and export of metal waste and scrap into and out of the EU, covering ferrous waste and scrap (including steel), aluminum, and copper.
According to the EC release, the EC adopted the Steel and Metal Action Plan (SMAP) on March 19, 2025, to address the significant challenges affecting the competitiveness of the EU's metals industries. One key pillar of this plan is promoting metal circularity, which not only supports the decarbonization of metal industries but also aligns with the EC's proposal to achieve a 90% reduction of net greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, compared to 1990.
The EU is experiencing a decline in metal scrap availability for recycling, also because of "scrap leakage" to third countries. The introduction of a 50% tariff by the United States on a wide range of steel and aluminum products (excluding scrap) may further worsen this issue as rising global prices of primary materials increase the incentive to export scrap abroad. To promote sufficient access to scrap for EU’s metals industries, the EC will closely monitor imports and exports of metal scrap to gather more structured and detailed information of what comes in and out of the EU.