On December 2, 2021, Ukraine increased the export duty for steel scrap to €180/mt from the previously valid €58/mt. Earlier, there had been an initiative to raise the tax to €200/mt but the final rate was approved at a lower level. Ukraine-based steel producers had been lobbying for the export tax imposition and its gradual increase for some years now, claiming that strong export activity harms their costs and margins, while preference should be given to domestic industries instead of selling overseas.