The European Commission has proposed excluding a number of major ferrous scrap-consuming countries from receiving EU material when new waste export restrictions take effect in May 2027, potentially disrupting established scrap trade flows.
On 18 September the Commission published a draft list of non-OECD countries authorised to receive specified non-hazardous waste. Thirty-two countries requested continued access, but the draft would exclude major ferrous scrap importers including Egypt, Morocco, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan from receiving the relevant material. Interested parties have time until 16 October to comment.
EU ferrous scrap flows to some affected steelmaking markets have risen sharply in the last few years. Egypt imported 1.86mn t in 2025 and 947,000t in January-July 2026, up by 34pc on the year, according to Global Trade Tracker (GTT) data. Morocco's imports rose by 77pc to 340,000t, while Pakistan's increased by 56pc to 333,000t. India's imports fell by 22pc to 423,000t.
The measure comes amid a wider EU push to decarbonise and strengthen the competitiveness of its steel industry, including through the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, which entered its definitive phase in January.
The restrictions stem from the EU's Waste Shipment Regulation, adopted in 2024. Under the new regime, non-OECD countries must demonstrate that individual waste streams can be managed in an environmentally sound manner to retain access to EU supply. Countries excluded from the final list can reapply, but exports of unauthorised waste streams will be prohibited from 21 May 2027. The first authorised-country list is expected by the end of 2026.
Recycling Europe, the European recyclers' association, condemned the proposal, warning that it could effectively close key non-OECD Asian markets to EU recycled metals. It said the Commission was unfairly singling out ferrous and non-ferrous scrap on environmental grounds, despite existing EU rules already distinguishing between hazardous and non-hazardous waste.
