The imposition of duties for imports of steel and aluminium and the recently announced new trade-political measures against EU resulted in an answer from Bruxelles. The EU counter measures are supposed to start from mid April, in case no consensual solution is to be reached.
Maroš Šefčovič, the EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security informed end of last week that the EU counter tariffs on U.S. imports would soon be implemented, however a bit later as initially planned. Additionally new negotiations with U.S. representitives will start soon.
As we have already reported, starting from 12th March the new tariffs were imposed in the height of 25% on all imports of steel and aluminium to USA, valid also for the imports from the EU, in share it is about 5% of total European export to USA. From 26th March onward new tariffs were announced for the import of cars and cars spare parts to USA, validity from 3rd April. Besides new duties for EU imports can follow, more details expected on 2nd April.
At the beginning of March the EU Commission advised the renewed imposition of the European counter tariffs from the period of the first Trump’s president mandate, which are now not in force (after negotiations with the Biden’s administration). The measures should be valid not from 1st April as initially planned but from mid April, presumably simultaneously with other EU measures as reaction to new tariffs of the Trump’s government.
Furthermore the EU Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič is travelling this week to Washington D.C. in order to personally discuss the actual mutual trade situation with the U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and the U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
