The European Commission announces measures in response to the “unjustified” duties of the United States

The European Commission has introduced “fast and proportional” countermeasures on importing the United States to the European Union – this agency declared this on March 12. The decisions were explained by the response to the US new duties on the import of steel and aluminum from the EU.

“The commission is sorry about the US decision to impose such duties, considering them unjustified, devastating to transatlantic trade and harmful to business and consumers, which often leads to a rise in prices,” the press release said.

The European Commission specifies that its answer is based on a two -stage approach:

• The commission will allow April 1 to restore existing countermeasures against the United States from 2018 and 2020, which have previously been stopped. These countermeasures are “aimed at a number of US products in response to economic damage caused to exports of steel and aluminum with EU worth € 8 billion
• In response to the new US Duties, the European Commission offers a package of new countermeasures on US exports-they will come into force in mid-April after consultation with Member States and stakeholders

“Thus, in general, EU countermeasures can be applied to exports from the United States to the amount of up to 26 billion euros, which corresponds to the economic scale of the United States,” the press service adds.

At the same time, as the European Commission adds, the EU is ready to work with the US Administration to “find a solution through negotiation”:

“The above measures can be canceled at any time if such a solution is found.”

The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Liaien has stated that duties are taxes that have a bad effect on business and “worse – on consumers.”

Read also: Trump’s decree on duties also applies to steel from Ukraine. Metallurgy is 57% of exports to the United States – Sviridenko

“These duties violate supply chains. They carry uncertainty to the economy. Workplaces are at stake. Prices will grow. In Europe and in the US. The European Union must act to protect consumers and business. The countermeasures that we use today are strong but proportional, ”she said in her comment.

Von Der Lyen specified that the introduction of countermeasures will begin on April 1 and they will fully come into force on April 13.

February 10 President of the United States Donald Trump signed the decrees on February 10 about the introduction of 25 percent duties to import of steel and aluminum Since March 12. They will affect goods from Argentina, Australia, Canada, Mexico, EU countries and the United Kingdom and other countries.

The largest importers of steel in the United States are Canada and Mexico.