Response from Brussels

A clear message to Washington, that ‘the unjustified duties»In the European Union”will not be left unansweredI “sent the Commission President, Ursula von der Laien, reacting to yesterday’s US decision to impose 25% of European steel and aluminum exports. He also warned that proportionate countermeasures would be activated.

“Unjustified duties in the EU will not be left unanswered – they will activate steady and proportionate countermeasures, “Ursula von der Laen said in her statement, while also saying that” the EU will act to safeguard its financial interests. We will protect our employees, businesses and consumers” He also expressed its deep regret over the US decision, stressing that “duties are taxes – bad for businesses, worse for consumers”.

However, it avoided calling the duties “illegal”, as the Commission – which had warned, however – made it in a statement yesterday. It was not just about imports of steel and aluminum, as its spokesman later explained.

Imposing duties will mainly hit Germany

Priority in any case for the EU commercial policy responsible for the avoidance of a trade “war” and direct involvement in negotiations, as von der Laien has repeatedly stated.

This was also the main objective of today’s first meeting with a representative of the new US administration, US Vice President Jay Di Vance, on the sidelines of the International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Paris.

One of the countries, however, that will be more affected by the imposition of tariffs on European steel and aluminum exports will be its homeland, Germany. Although most of the imports in the US come from Canada, China and Mexico, in 2023 Germany exported more than 4 billion euros worth of steel and aluminum to the US market. According to the German Steel Association Wirtschaftsvereinigung Stahl (WV Stahl), about 20% of total EU steel exports reach the US market.

Reinstate EU “retaliation” … from 2018?

EU’s “immediate” response would be essentially to bring back tariffs on US products, which are suspended and imposed in 2018 as “retaliation” on tariffs, which was first imposed by US President Donald for the first time. Trump to European steel and aluminum exports. At that time, the EU had “targeted” with “retaliation” imports of emblematic American products such as Harley-Davidson engines, jeans and whiskey pants, measures that were suspended just last March.