The EU import tariffs on US products will not come into effect on 1 April, but only in mid-April, announced European Commissioner for Trade Maroš Šefčovič on Thursday in the European Parliament's Committee on International Trade.
On 12 March, the United States imposed import tariffs of 25% on steel and aluminium. This affects around €26 billion in European exports or around 5% of total exports from the EU to the US.
Later the same day, the Commission announced that it would activate the countermeasures that were also introduced in 2018 against the then US steel tariffs on 1 April. Additional products would then follow in mid-April. Šefčovič stressed that the situation is volatile, which has an impact on the next steps.
Working together
"Because the US announced additional tariffs on 2 April, we are considering aligning the timing of the two packages so that we can consult the Member States on the two lists at the same time," Šefčovič said. "And that gives us extra time for negotiations to find a solution that we can both agree on. All EU countermeasures that have been announced would then apply from mid-April."
The Commissioner stressed that the priority for the EU and US must be to "protect and further develop our trade relationship" and to "work together on our shared challenges." He added that he also "made that message clear" in his talks in the US in recent weeks.
However, he also reiterated that the EU will respond strongly to unjustified measures. "We all know that the EU is not the source of the problem when it comes to steel and aluminium. The real problem is overcapacity and we need to work together to tackle the root causes."
