On December 31, the government set zero export quotas for the export of ferrous metal scrap (code 7204) and copper scrap (code 7404 00) from Ukraine for 2026. This was announced by Dmytro Kysylevsky, deputy chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Economic Development.According to the parliamentarian, it is beneficial for the state to leave all scrap within the country. One ton of scrap processed in Ukraine into finished products generates approximately UAH 15,000 in taxes. One ton of exported scrap without duty actually generates no taxes (within UAH 100 per ton), since scrap metal procurement remains mostly a shadow business.
“Exporting scrap to the EU is de facto a customs evasion scheme with losses for the budget of almost UAH 3.5 billion per year, because currently the customs duty to the EU is 0, and to other countries – €180. Scrap from Ukraine is mainly re-exported outside the EU. If 380 thousand tons of exported scrap were processed in Ukraine in 2025, the state would receive UAH 5.7 billion in taxes,” explained Dmytro Kysylevsky.From 2026, the EU is introducing the so-called CBAM carbon tax. For Ukraine, from the point of view of joining the EU and meeting environmental requirements for industry, it is important to keep all scrap within the country, because scrap is a scarce raw material for steelmaking with lower CO₂ emissions.
As GMK Center reported, the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine considered the possibility of introducing a zero quota for scrap metal exports back in April 2025. The reason for the need to introduce such a restrictive measure was that this strategic raw material is supposedly exported from Ukraine to the European Union, but in fact it is re-exported to third countries, in particular Turkey, which have a competitive advantage and provide various forms of preferences to their producers and protection of the domestic market.
Source: https://agronews.ua/news/uryad-vstanovyv-na-2026-rik-nulovi-kvoty-na-eksport-metalobruhtu-z-ukrayiny-2/
