Reinforcing its strategic position on global trade policy, India officially secured third-party participation rights in the WTO dispute panel established to evaluate Russia’s claims against the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). The dispute panel will examine whether the EU’s carbon border tariffs create non-tariff trade barriers that breach international trade agreements. This issue remains crucial for Indian industrial exporters, particularly in the steel and aluminum sectors, who face steep compliance costs under European carbon regulations. Concurrently, official trade data reveals that India remained a net importer of finished steel during the April–August period of the current fiscal year, with total steel imports surging by 29.5% year-on-year to 4.87 million tonnes valued at ₹36,197.9 crore. Major steel suppliers included China, South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, and Vietnam, driven primarily by strong domestic demand for hot-rolled coils, cold-rolled sheets, and galvanized steel products despite India holding the position of the world’s second-largest crude steel producer.