This Week in Construction & Housing — Brussels (#30, 2026)
Steel safeguard duties enter force; new anti-dumping circumvention probe on Chinese glass fibre fabrics; Commission marks workplace accident commemoration.
August 02, 2026 to August 08, 2026
Steel safeguard duties enter force; new anti-dumping circumvention probe on Chinese glass fibre fabrics; Commission marks workplace accident commemoration.
📋 In This Week's Newsletter
• 🇪🇺 European Commission
• ⚖️ EU Legislation
European Commission
Commission Proposes European Day for Victims of Workplace Accidents in Construction
On 6 August 2026, Executive Vice-President Mînzatu delivered a statement introducing a Commission proposal to designate 8 August as the 'European Day in Remembrance of Victims of Accidents at Work.' The date will mark the anniversary of the 1956 Marcinelle mining disaster in Belgium, where 262 miners lost their lives—many were migrant workers drawn from across Europe. The proposal responds to calls from the European Parliament and several Member States. The Commission links the new annual day with the EU strategic framework for health and safety at work, aiming to foster prevention and to update rules on hazardous chemicals, particularly in construction and heavy industries. The framework also underpins the 'vision zero' approach to eliminate work-related deaths. 3,000 workplace fatalities and 170,000 work-related illness deaths are recorded annually in the EU, according to the Commission. Media contacts: Eva Hrncirova, Eirini Zarkadoula.
EU Legislation (Official Journal)
Safeguard Duties Applied to Steel Imports from FTA Countries under Regulation (EU) 2026/1930
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1930, adopted 4 August 2026, sets out bilateral safeguard measures on imports of steel products from countries with EU free trade agreements. Imports exceeding respective quotas will be subject to a 50% ad valorem duty. Affected countries include Albania, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, North Macedonia, Serbia, Switzerland, Tunisia, and Türkiye. The measures implement Article 6 of Regulation (EU) 2026/1384, addressing negative trade effects of global overcapacity. The Official Journal reference is OJ L, 2026/1930.
Investigation Launched into Circumvention of Anti-Dumping Duties on Chinese Glass Fibre Fabrics
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1925 of 6 August 2026 initiates an investigation into possible circumvention of anti-dumping penalties imposed by Regulation (EU) 2024/357 regarding open mesh glass fibre fabrics from China. The focus is on imports transhipped from Kosovo, Moldova, North Macedonia, and Serbia, which are now subject to registration. The probe was requested by Tech-Fab Europe e.V.; importers and producers from the named countries may apply for exemptions under Article 13(4) of Regulation (EU) 2016/1036. The investigation will conclude within nine months; OJ L, 2026/1925.
