Please let us off tariff hook, say EU, Japan

THE EUROPEAN Union and Japan pressed President Trump’s trade envoy Saturday to exempt them, as longtime U.S. allies, from steel tariffs that have sparked fears of a new trade war.

But they appeared to win no quick concessions. EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem said after meetings in Brussels that she got “no immediate clarity on the exact U.S. procedure for exemption,” and that new talks are planned this week.

The tariffs come into force in two weeks, and if the 28-nation EU cannot secure an exemption, it has threatened retaliatory tariffs on U.S. products like peanut butter and orange juice.

Japan has warned of the dangers of tit-for-tat measures. Malmstroem said she had a “frank” discussion with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer about the steel tariffs, insisting that “the European Union must be excluded” because it is a close U.S. ally.

The two also met with Japan’s minister of economy, trade and industry and pledged afterward to work together to fight dumping that hurts jobs and industries around the world.