US responded to the EU’s countermeasures against American imports

The Office of the US Trade Representative said the EU’s tariffs on US imports completely ignore US national security imperatives and show that the EU’s trade and economic policies “are out of touch with reality,” Reuters reported.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said that for years the European Union “opposed US efforts to reindustrialise” and “rejected attempts by successive US administrations to work effectively together to address global overcapacity in steel, aluminium and other sectors, doing too little too late.”

“If the EU had acted as quickly to address global overcapacity as it has to punish the United States, we would likely be in a very different situation today. The EU’s punitive actions completely ignore the imperatives of US national security – and indeed international security – and are yet another indication that the EU’s trade and economic policies are out of touch with reality,” Greer added.

A month ago, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing 25% tariffs on imports of steel, aluminium and related products, affecting around €26 billion in EU exports. The EU condemned the move, saying it would respond without hesitation if the US continued to impose new tariffs.

The situation did not improve, so on 12 March the European Commission imposed a series of proportionate countermeasures on US imports into the EU, targeting a range of US products, from boats to bourbon and Harley-Davidson motorcycles.

Tags: USA, EU