The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
EU to retaliate against Trump’s steel tariffs
Imports from US of jeans and peanut butter may be hit
The European Union is set to strike back against Donald Trump’s “illegal” and “dangerous” steel tariffs.
Cecilia Malmstrom, the EU trade commissioner, announced the EU would be seeking to implement a number of retaliatory tariffs on American products by June 20.
The move comes after Mr Trump’s decision to impose a 25% duty on European steel and a 10% duty on European aluminium.
Ms Malmstrom accused Mr Trump of “playing a dangerous game” as she confirmed the EU would be taking “proportionate and measured” action against the US.
She said: “This is further weakening the transatlantic relations and it also increases the risk of severe turbulences in the markets globally.”
Ms Malmstrom said a final decision on what products would be hit with tariffs had not yet been made, but added that they would be from an already published list which includes the likes of Levi’s jeans, bourbon whiskey, cranberries and peanut butter.
She said: “We are not seeking to escalate any situation but we need to respond and we’ll do so in a measured manner, but not responding would be the same as accepting these tariffs which we consider are illegal.”
Mr Trump imposed the tariffs in March, saying a reliance on imported metals threatened national security.
But he exempted Canada, Mexico and the European Union to buy time for negotiations – a reprieve that expired at midnight on Thursday.
The director of trade body UK Steel, Gareth Stace, said he was “very worried” about the potential impact of a “double whammy” on British producers from the Trump administration’s decision.
UK steel producers could be shut out of an American market where they sold £350 million of exports last year, while also facing increased competition from cheap steel diverted away from the US, he said.
We are not seeking to escalate any situation but we need to respond in a measured fashion. CECILIAMALMSTROM