The impact of US tariffs (see EUROPE 13616/1) affects not only European exports, but also imports into the European Union. The European Commission therefore prefers prevention to cure: it will set up a taskforce on import surveillance to identify at an early stage any redirection of trade flows to the EU that could harm European industry.
“We are looking at historical imports and whether there is a sudden influx of certain products, or in certain sectors, which we should regulate”, explained the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on Monday 7 April in Brussels, during a press briefing with the Norwegian Prime Minister, Jonas Gahr Støre.
The aim of this initiative is to respond to fears that Chinese exports will be massively redirected towards the EU following the high tariffs imposed by the Americans on Chinese products (34%).
Trade relations between the EU and China were also discussed by the EU trade ministers meeting in Luxembourg on Monday. They reviewed the latest contacts, including the recent visit to China by the European Commissioner for Trade, Maroš Šefčovič.
For the Member States, the objectives to be achieved in EU-China relations remain unchanged, despite the new situation on the other side of the Atlantic: issues of global overcapacity in certain industrial products such as steel, problems of market access or respect for intellectual property must be addressed by China. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)