---
title: "Ukraine Achieves Normal Scrap Supply for Metallurgists: Kalenkov Calls for a 180 Euro/Tonne Duty on EU Exports"
description: "Alexander Kalenkov, President of the \"Ukrmetallurgprom\" Association, stated that export restrictions on scrap have ensured a normal supply of raw material to metallurgists, and called for a 180 euro/tonne duty on supplies to the EU, where a zero rate currently applies."
date: 2026-08-25T11:32:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/ukraine-scrap-export-eu-duty-180-euro-tonne-kalenkov
tags: [ukraine, scrap-metal, export-restrictions, eu-trade, metallurgy, ukrmetallurgprom, cabinet-of-ministers]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Ukraine Achieves Normal Scrap Supply for Metallurgists: Kalenkov Calls for a 180 Euro/Tonne Duty on EU Exports

![Scrap metal containers at a Ukrainian steel plant, scrap export to the EU subject to a 180 euro per tonne duty](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/25/ukraina-eksport-metaloloma-es-pohlyna-180-evro-tonnu-kalenkov/ukraina-eksport-metaloloma-es-pohlyna-180-evro-tonnu-kalenkov-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Cabinet of Ministers restrictions on scrap metal exports have brought the supply of raw material to metallurgical enterprises to a normal level
- Resolution No. 1795 of 31 December 2025 established a zero quota on scrap exports for the entire year of 2026
- Kalenkov proposes setting a 180 euro/tonne duty on scrap exports to the EU, where a zero rate currently applies
- "Grey" transit schemes through Poland cost the budget more than 3 billion hryvnia
- Processing scrap domestically is economically more advantageous than exporting raw material: more taxes, foreign exchange earnings, and added value

The restrictions on scrap metal exports introduced by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine have demonstrated a positive effect and helped bring the supply of raw material to Ukrainian metallurgical enterprises back to a normal level. This was stated by Alexander Kalenkov, President of the "Ukrmetallurgprom" Association, while assessing the results of the anti-crisis measures adopted in 2025–2026. According to him, in 2025 domestic metallurgists faced an acute shortage of scrap metal: due to a lack of raw material at competitive prices, some companies were unable to meet their planned production volumes. The situation was worsened by competition with foreign buyers, including enterprises with access to cheap Russian resources, which made Ukrainian scrap an attractive target for export abroad at depressed prices.

### From Export Duty to a Zero Quota: How the Protection Mechanism Was Built

According to Kalenkov, the government's regulatory response was phased. First, an export duty of 180 euros per tonne on scrap metal was introduced, followed by additional restrictions designed to prevent the export of raw material through transit schemes. It was precisely this package of measures, in the assessment of the head of "Ukrmetallurgprom," that proved effective: the supply of scrap to metallurgical companies rose to a normal level. The culmination of the anti-export policy was Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 1795 of 31 December 2025, which established a zero quota on scrap metal exports for the entire year of 2026. Before the ban was introduced, scrap exports had been steadily growing, and "grey" schemes — when scrap was shipped through Poland with a zero duty and then forwarded to Turkey — cost the state budget more than three billion hryvnia, despite the formally applicable rate of 180 euros per tonne.

### The Weak Link: Free Trade with the European Union

At the same time, Kalenkov drew attention to a significant gap in the current regulation: it does not fully cover trade with the European Union due to the free trade regime provided for by the Association Agreement. To date, a zero duty rate applies to scrap exports to the EU, a provision that, according to the President of "Ukrmetallurgprom," is actively exploited by unscrupulous exporters. Kalenkov proposed that Ukraine hold consultations with Brussels and apply restrictive measures in this direction as well, especially given the ongoing war. The specific initiative is to set a duty of 180 euros per tonne of scrap on exports to the EU, thereby equalizing conditions across all supply directions.

### Aligning with European Policy and the Economic Logic of Domestic Processing

The President of "Ukrmetallurgprom" also emphasized that Ukraine should look to the EU's own policy, where scrap metal is increasingly regarded as a strategically important raw material for the decarbonization of industry. In this context, he argued, processing scrap metal domestically is economically more advantageous for the state than exporting it as raw material: the production of finished metal products generates a larger volume of tax revenue, foreign exchange earnings, and added value. Kalenkov expressed confidence that dialogue with the European Union on introducing restrictive measures on scrap exports is not only possible but necessary: "I think that we could, at the very least, talk to the European Union and say that this needs to be done."

### Contradictory Data

No significant discrepancies in figures or dates were identified in the provided sources. Resolution No. 1795 of 31 December 2025, the duty rate of 180 euros per tonne, and the estimate of budget losses exceeding three billion hryvnia appear consistently in the materials of RBC-Ukraine, UNIAN, and "Obozrevatel." At the same time, the "Obozrevatel" source (ID 3) notes that Ukraine received support from Brussels even before the scrap export ban was introduced, which creates a certain context: formally, the EU supported Kyiv's restrictive measures, yet the free trade regime still maintains a zero rate for supplies to the European direction, making Kalenkov's initiative to introduce a 180 euro/tonne duty on EU exports a subject of future negotiations rather than a currently applicable rule.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Ukraine May Restrict Scrap Metal Exports to the EU: Reason Named](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/ukrayina-mozhe-obmezhiti-eksport-metalobruhtu-1787657405.html) - Основной источник заявления Каленкова: дефицит лома в 2025 г., поэтапность мер, предложение пошлины 180 евро/тонну на экспорт в ЕС, ориентир на политику ЕС по декарбонизации.
- [Ukraine Should Restrict Scrap Metal Exports for All Directions, Including the EU, - Expert](https://www.unian.net/economics/other/ukraine-sleduet-ogranichit-eksport-metalloloma-dlya-vseh-napravleniy-v-tom-chisle-i-v-es-ekspert-13480005.html) - Подтверждает позицию Каленкова о необходимости ограничения экспорта лома по всем направлениям, включая ЕС.
- [Ukraine Received Support from Brussels Before Banning Scrap Exports, - Kalenkov](https://www.obozrevatel.com/ekonomika-glavnaya/ukraina-poluchila-podderzhku-bryusselya-pered-tem-kak-zapretit-eksport-loma-kalenkov.htm) - Дополнительный контекст: поддержка ЕС до введения запрета; нулевая квота на 2026 год; потери бюджета от «серых» схем.
- [Scrap Exports from Ukraine Threaten Economic National Security; Restrictions Needed for Another "..."](https://www.unian.net/society/eksport-loma-iz-ukrainy-ugrozhaet-ekonomicheskoy-nacbezopasnosti-ogranicheniya-nuzhny-eshche-na-vchera-kalenkov-13210470.html) - Подтверждает позицию Каленкова о необходимости ограничения экспорта лома по всем направлениям, включая ЕС.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: What exactly did the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine introduce to restrict scrap metal exports?
**A:** First, an export duty of 180 euros per tonne was introduced, followed by additional restrictions against transit schemes. On 31 December 2025, the Cabinet adopted Resolution No. 1795, establishing a zero quota on scrap metal exports for the entire year of 2026.

### Q: Why does the current ban not fully cover scrap exports to the EU?
**A:** Because of the free trade regime provided for by the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU. To date, a zero duty rate applies to scrap exports to the European direction, allowing unscrupulous exporters to use this route without restrictions.

### Q: What specific measure does Alexander Kalenkov propose for trade with the EU?
**A:** Kalenkov proposes holding consultations with the European Union and setting a duty of 180 euros per tonne of scrap on exports to the EU, equalizing conditions with other directions. He emphasizes that, given the war, such restrictive measures are especially necessary.

### Q: How much did Ukraine's budget lose due to "grey" scrap export schemes?
**A:** According to data cited in RBC-Ukraine materials, transit schemes through Poland (with a zero duty) and the subsequent forwarding of scrap to Turkey cost the state budget more than three billion hryvnia, despite the formally applicable export duty rate of 180 euros per tonne.