The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has introduced a final anti-dumping duty of 15.9% on rebar from Bulgaria (Promet Steel) as of mid-December 2024. This decision indirectly impacts Ukrainian steel exports, as rebar in Bulgaria is produced from Ukrainian square billets. According to a report by GMK Center, this measure presents a significant challenge for the steel industry in 2025.
The introduction of these duties conflicts with a previously adopted decision by the Canadian Government on the temporary exclusion of goods originating in Ukraine from customs duties. The annual export volume of rebar from Bulgaria to Canada amounted to 60-80 thousand tons in 2023-2024.
One potential workaround to avoid these anti-dumping duties is to utilize the origin of the billet as a criterion, similar to mechanisms in the US. For instance, steel products made in the EU using Ukrainian steel are excluded from tariff-rate quotas in the US.
Currently, there are 28 trade restriction measures in force against steel products from Ukraine in 13 countries and economic blocs, with many of these measures being in place for over 20 years. Nominal steelmaking capacities in Ukraine have decreased significantly from 42 million tons in 2013 to 16.2 million tons in 2024, with only about 8 million tons being actively used. Consequently, steel exports from Ukraine have plummeted from 24.7 million tons in 2013 to 4.7 million tons in 2024.
Earlier reports from the GMK Center indicated that former US President Donald Trump expressed intentions to impose large-scale tariffs on steel, aluminum, copper, and other goods imported into the country, including computer chips, semiconductors, and pharmaceuticals.
