This GOES too far: Safeguards put transformation at risk

There is no sufficient evidence to justify safeguard measures on grain-oriented electrical steel (GOES). While trade data show an increase of imports from 2024 to 2025, any assessment crucially depends on the develop-ment of demand; and the ability of EU producers to meet that demand. In this context, the available evidence does not seem to demonstrate the necessary legal preconditions required for safeguard measures, in particular regarding serious injury and causation. EU production alone cannot and will not cover current and future GOES demand. Consequently, high-quality imports continue to play a structural role in carrying European transformation and electrification efforts, which cannot sensibly be realized without the European transformer industry. 

This position paper shows the necessity for GOES and why there is a lack of foundation for EU safeguards on GOES.

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