EU DRI imports increased in 2024

This increase is seen as a reflection of demand in the EU's industrial sector and fluctuations in energy costs. According to Eurostat data, the leading DRI importers in the EU during this period were Italy, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Italy imported 309.49 thousand tons of DRI in the first five months of 2024, a decrease of 29.4%. Germany, on the other hand, increased its imports by 7.3% to 304.57 thousand tons in the same period. Belgium's imports decreased by 21.1% to 105.79 thousand tons, while the Netherlands' imports increased from only 33.2 tons in January-May 2023 to 122.1 thousand tons in the same period this year.

Russia, the EU's largest DRI import supplier, exported 526.87 thousand tons of DRI to Europe in January-May 2024. This amount represents a 5.9% decrease compared to the previous year. Following Russia, Libya exported 171.6 thousand tons of DRI to the EU, decreasing by 27% on a yearly basis. Venezuela also exported 64.38 thousand tons of DRI to the EU during the same period, representing a 28% yearly decrease.