The European Commission has officially launched a safeguard investigation into imports of grain-oriented electrical steel (GOES) into the European Union. The investigation aims to determine whether rising import volumes are causing or threatening to cause serious injury to the domestic industry.

According to the Commission, GOES is a critical material used in power transformers and plays an essential role in electricity infrastructure. The scope of the investigation also includes laminations and cores, which are products further processed from GOES and incorporated into power transformers.

The European Commission said the investigation will assess import trends, market conditions, and the impact on EU producers. If serious injury is confirmed, the bloc may move to impose temporary or definitive safeguard measures in the coming months.