EU Parliament Set to Extend Tariff-Free Access for Ukrainian Iron and Steel Exports

The European Parliament is preparing to vote on May 8 to extend a preferential trade arrangement for Ukrainian iron and steel exports, ensuring continued access to the EU market even after the expiration of broader autonomous trade measures on June 5, 2025.

The Gaze reports on this with reference to European Pravda.

A draft legislative resolution outlines the continuation of a simplified import regime for Ukrainian ferrous metals. This follows the end of the EU’s Autonomous Trade Measures (ATMs), commonly referred to as the “trade visa-free regime,” which have provided tariff-free access for a wide range of Ukrainian exports since the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022.

"Ukraine remains a major exporter of iron and steel, despite the fact that the war has led to the destruction or occupation of many production facilities. It therefore remains necessary to maintain the suspension of Regulation (EU) 2015/478 on common rules for imports. This suspension is and will remain the legal basis for the suspension of the current EU safeguard measure on steel products (regarding such imports from Ukraine) within the framework of EU support," the European Commission's explanatory memorandum to the draft document states.

The legislative proposal seeks to suspend specific provisions of EU Regulation 2015/478, effectively maintaining the suspension of safeguard measures currently imposed on steel imports. If approved by the Parliament and later by the EU Council, the regulation will enter into force on June 6, 2025, and remain valid for three years.

The Commission underlined the urgency of adopting the measure in time to avoid a legal gap between the expiration of the ATMs and the implementation of a long-term free trade framework under the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement.

In addition to trade matters, the European Parliament's plenary session this week is also expected to address broader topics related to the Russian-Ukrainian war, including efforts to secure the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia.

While the Commission has decided not to prolong the ATMs beyond June 2025, officials are working to ensure a seamless transition to a more permanent, treaty-based trade regime that will secure Ukraine’s economic ties with the EU for the long term.

As The Gaze reported earlier, the agreement between Ukraine and the United States to establish a joint Recovery Investment Fund does not contradict the process of Ukraine's accession to the European Union.