Bosnia and Herzegovina is preparing to implement protective tariffs on steel and steel products at a rate of 30% for a period of 200 days. This measure was initiated by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of the country at the request of the company Nova Zeljezara Zenica.
This is reported by Finway
Reasons for Implementing Tariffs
The draft decision is currently undergoing public consultations and must be approved by the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The main goal of introducing tariffs is to protect national steel producers from excessive imports, which have sharply increased in recent times.
According to the ministry, in 2025, the volume of imported rebar mesh to Bosnia and Herzegovina increased by 192.87% compared to the average over the previous four years. The largest volumes of supply come from Serbia, which exported over 9,000 tons of this product.
Increase in Imports from Turkey and Market Consequences
A significant increase is also observed in the import of rolled rebar from Turkey — in 2025, this figure rose by 885% compared to the average level over four years, while the import of rods increased by 229.56%.
The ministry believes that this situation is a result of pressure from foreign manufacturers who are actively promoting their products in the market of Bosnia and Herzegovina, while local production capacities remain underutilized. This creates risks for the stability of the construction sector, as consumers become dependent on imports, even though similar products are already available in the domestic market.
The introduction of tariffs is expected to help stabilize the situation in the steel market and support domestic producers.