THE’European Union he reacted firmly to the new rates imposed by the United States on steel and aluminum, putting countermeasures on the table for 26 billion euros. Brussels wasted no time: the commission spoke of a “targeted and balanced” action to counter commercial barriers decided by Washington.
The measure came in response to the duties of 25% that the US administration applied on strategic metals, triggering an escalation that marks a turning point in commercial relations. The stakes are high: it is not only a tariff battle, but an economic arm arm that redefines the relationships between the two banks of the Atlantic.
The commission will reactivate the measures of 2018 and 2020 from 1 April 2025, while new rates will enter into force from mid -April after consulting with the Member States. Europe intends to align the value of countermeasures to that of US restrictions, keeping the door open to dialogue with Washington. If an agreement emerges to regulate the steel and aluminum market, the measures can be revoked.
Impact of the new rates compared to the past
Europe is faced with a Quadruplicated economic impact Compared to the last wave of rates introduced by Trump in his first term. Then the United States had targeted European metal exports for a value of about 7 billion dollars, justifying themselves with national security reasons. Now Washington raises the shot: starting from April, new duties will come into force, aimed at hitting key sectors and contrasting the tax policies of commercial partners, including European VAT. Among the most exposed industries there is the car sector, which, already tormented by the crisis, risks undergoing a significant recourse.
Today, March 12, the United States imposed rates up to 25% on steel, aluminum and derivative products from the European Union and other countries. It is not just a déjà vu of the measurements of 2018, but a targeted expansion of the perimeter of the affected assets. In addition to raw materials, the new restrictions include consumer goodswork tools, fitness equipment and essential components for the manufacturing sector.
Negotiation attempts and future prospects
The Commerce Commissioner of the European Union, Maroš Šefčovičattempted to smooth the corners of an inflamed commercial clash, going to Washington to embark on a dialogue with the Trump administration. He met the Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, bringing with him a Package of concessions which ranged from the reduction of duties on industrial goods, including cars, one of the key nodes for the United States, to the increase in European imports of liquefied natural gas and supplies for American defense.
But the White House did not give opening signals. Šefčovič, in a resolute tone, reiterated that Brussels will not remain to watch while Washington raises tailor -made barriers: “Just as the United States defend their interests, the same does the EU”, said, specifying that Europe will not allow its companies, its workers and its consumers to be crushed under the weight of arbitrary rates.
The US products affected by European countermeasures
Brussels has chosen to respond a hit by Washington’s protectionist strategy, putting a double counter -bend on the field: the restoration of measures of rebalancing introduced in 2018 and 2020, which will return operational on April 1, 2025, and new duties.
The measures suspended in 2021 will be put back on the field without discounts, hitting American goods to the extent equivalent to the damage inflicted by the US rates. Among the products in the viewfinder are alcohol, motorcycles and boats, symbols of an America that Brussels has decided to hit in its most representative sectors. But the European response does not stop there. A further package of rates for 18 billion euros is being defined, with a mix of industrial goods and agricultural products, from large appliances to cheeses, from dried fruit to meat.
The approval mechanism provides for a consultation phase with European economic actors until March 26, and then moved on to the final decision by mid -April. The intention is to calibrate the measures without damaging European companies more than already do global commercial tensions. Brussels, however, does not intend to give up ground: the countermeasures they will remain operational until a shared strategy emerges To regulate the steel and aluminum market on an international scale, also addressing environmental issues and overproduction that the sector are distorting.
Ursula von der Leyen’s position
The Community executive defined Washington’s decision unacceptable to reintroducing rates on steel and aluminum, underlining the risk of an economic fracture between the two banks of the Atlantic. The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, expressed his position firmly, highlighting how this move does nothing but inflating costs for companies and consumers On both fronts. “Commercial relations between the EU and the USA represent the largest world economic blockade, with millions of jobs at stake and an interdependence built over time. burden on supply chains“, He said.
Although determined to protect European interests, Brussels does not intend to close any negotiation space with Washington. The tension is high, but aescalation It would have heavy consequences for both blocks. “We are in a moment of strong economic and political turbulence. In essence, you try to defend, but with a window wide open towards a possible agreement that the European Union hopes for it as soon as possible.
