The EU’s efforts to reach an agreement with the United States and avoid additional customs duties have not yet paid off. According to the European Commissioner for Trade, Maroš Šefčovič, who was interviewed on this subject on Monday 10 March, “the US administration does not seem to be engaging to make a deal”. During his trip to Washington in February, he and his US counterparts were able to identify areas of cooperation that could lead to mutual benefits, without being able to go any further. “One hand cannot clap”, he said.
The single 25% US tariff on steel and aluminium is due to come into force on Wednesday 12 March, according to announcements by US President Donald Trump. If this is the case, the EU is expected to retaliate with its own measures. It has been working on this for several weeks and is considering imposing tariffs in strategic US sectors, going further than those it imposed in 2018, according to several sources.
“If the United States is looking after its interests, so are we. This is why we will always protect European businesses, workers and consumers from unjustified tariffs”, Maroš Šefčovič assured. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)