On Thursday 12 April, European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström acknowledged that the EU remained in doubt as to the compensation expected by US President Donald Trump for a permanent exemption for the EU from the 25% customs duty on steel imports and the 10% duty on aluminium imports into the USA. These duties entered into force on 23 March and the EU is provisionally exempt from them until 1 May.
"The Trump administration remains hazy on what it expects in compensation for a permanent exemption for the EU from the customs tariffs on steel and aluminium. We are still in doubt", Malmström said on a visit to Copenhagen.
"We can say that at the moment we are having a very good discussion. The situation is calmer now than it was two weeks ago", European Commission Vice-President for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness Jyrki Katainen had said on Tuesday 10 April.
"We are trying to find common ground. Everybody knows that our producers do not practise dumping on the US market and our products are based on market values", he had added.
To settle this issue, Malmström and US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross opened a dialogue process, in Washington on 21 March, between the Commission and Trump administration on issues of common interest, including the fight against overcapacity in steel and aluminium (see EUROPE 11986, 11988). (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)