Europe prepares response to US steel and aluminum tariffs

In the first half of July, the European Commission is to submit a list of US products that will be covered by the higher duty in Europe. Higher duties may be imposed on alcohol and cosmetics, among others.

In Berlin on June 4, one of the topics discussed in the EU was the situation after the introduction of higher tariffs on steel and aluminum imported into the United States on June 1, 2018. Euro Commission for the first half of July will prepare a list of compensation, that is, a list of goods that compensate for the losses of the European economy arising from tariffs imposed by the United States. This list will certainly include products such as Bourbon, Harley-Davidson, and cosmetics.

After a delay on June 1, customs duties of 25 percent on steel and a 10 percent duty on aluminum from the European Union, Canada and Mexico took effect. The list of responsive responsibilities has already been announced by Canada and Mexico. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker announced that the EU will respond. The introduction of tariffs was described by the EU as an unjustified act, and Juncker called it "protectionism."

French President Emmanuel Macron, in a telephone conversation with Trump, said the US decision was "illegal" and "wrong" and announced that the EU would respond "in a decisive and proportionate manner." German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz, in turn, stressed that the US decision is contrary to international law.