Washington and Brussels have agreed to remove some of the barriers to trade that were built between the two groups during Donald Trump’s presidency. But tariffs on steel and aluminum imports into the United States will remain so far.
The European Union will not proceed with the planned introduction or increase of retaliatory tariffs on imports of American goods, which was planned at a time when the White House was inhabited by Donald Trump. The duties were to take effect on June 1. Newly, for example, it would apply to imported sports shoes or lipsticks, and double (ie to 50 percent) tariffs on imports of bourbon or motorcycles or motorboats would increase. Washington and Brussels stated this in a joint statement.
But according to Bernd Lange, chairman of the European Parliament’s trade committee, the United States must come up with a reciprocal commitment. “But the USA must show a tangible gesture towards the European Union, otherwise an increase in tariffs would be justified,” he told Reuters.
For the time being, however, customs duties on imports of aluminum and steel of 10 and 25 percent will be maintained by the United States. However, these are not tariffs applied only to the EU, but to the import of metals from all countries of the world, the European Union is thus “affected” by them, as well as other countries that export steel and aluminum to the US.
