U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday temporarily exempted six countries and the European Union from tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, the White House announced.
“Tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from the following countries will be lifted until May 1, 2018,” the White House stated, listing EU member states, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and South Korea.
The U.S. will begin applying import tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum on Friday.
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Washington is discussing with these countries “satisfactory alternative ways to address the threat to U.S. national security posed by steel imports,” and trade partners of Washington will currently be exempt from steel import tariffs, according to Trump’s statement.
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U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer stated earlier on Thursday in the Senate that Trump allowed the exemption from tariffs.
“The President’s idea is that under certain criteria, some countries will be exempt from these tariffs,” Lighthizer said before the Senate Finance Committee.
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Trump signed the introduction of these tariffs of 25 percent on steel imports and 10 percent on aluminum imports in early March, provoking protests from U.S. partners and fears of a trade war.
Numerous countries, including those in the European Union, warned the White House that they would respond strongly if subjected to tariffs on metal imports.
Trump’s administration emphasized that the main target of its measures was China, which has long been overproducing, affecting the global steel and aluminum market.
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China, which produces half of the world’s steel, will assess the damage from this U.S. move and “will firmly defend its legitimate rights and interests,” the Chinese Ministry of Commerce stated at that time.
The exemption from tariffs for the EU followed a visit to Washington by European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom, where she discussed with Lighthizer and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross.
Trump signed the introduction of tariffs on imported steel and aluminum based on a rarely used U.S. law that allows the president to act against imports that undermine national security.
Malmstrom then stated that she expected an exemption for Europe, but otherwise announced countermeasures in accordance with World Trade Organization rules
