On Monday 26 June, European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström warned that the EU would not rule out the adoption of trade retaliation measures against the USA if Washington decided to hit European steel exports with anti-dumping duties.
"We are following this debate very closely. We are still awaiting the US proposal. Now, in the worst-case scenario, if the US imposed anti-dumping duties, it would be very serious for Europe. We would be hit hard and unjustifiably", Malmström stated on Monday.
"The conformity of these measures will have to be checked with WTO rules. The EU is making preparations to retaliate in the event the US introduces new tariffs. We are getting ready for the fray", she warned.
"We understand the US concern, given the overcapacity of steel in China. Nevertheless, this would not be the right way to address this difficulty", she concluded.
The US Department of Commerce is due to publish, by the end of June, the results of a special inquiry requested by Trump into US steel imports. Trump is invoking the clause of a trade law dating back to 1962 ("Section 232"), which gives full powers to the US administration in the face of Congress, and authorises it to restrict imports that would jeopardise the country's security. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)