The EU votes on Wednesday its countermeasures to Trump to steel and aluminum tariffs
The Member States of the European Union vote on Wednesday the countermeasures proposed by the European Commission to the 25% tariffs that the administration of the US President, Donald Trump, already applied to the imports of steel and aluminum.
The vote will take place this afternoon from 14.30 in the Commercial Barriers Regulation Committee, according to community executive sources. It is expected to go ahead, since a qualified majority of 14 countries would vote against to stop the Batters of countermeasures. In that hypothetical case, the process would rise to an appeal committee and there would be a qualified reinforced majority composed of 16 countries that represent at least 65% of the population of the block to frustrate the EU response.
What the Member States will vote this afternoon are several series of countermeasures for a value of about 21,000 million euros to very varied American products, ranging from agricultural to manufactured, and that will begin to take effect in a staggered manner.
A first round will allow tariffs to an extensive and varied list of American products since the middle of April, a second will impose them from mid -May, while the third, for December, will be applied to almonds and American soybeans.
Finally, after the negotiations with the Member States, the Bourbon, the Wine and the Dairy, which were on the first list that the European Commission put on the table.
This vote coincides with the entry into force of tariffs called “reciprocal” that announced on April 2, and that include complementary punishment for China, up to 104%, as well as 20% for the EU and taxes of up to 50% additional for more than half a hundred countries. At the same time, the European Commission prepares another set of measures in response to tariffs of 25% to cars and also to which Washington calls “reciprocal” and that are in force from today.
“At the beginning of next week, such as the second phase of our response to US tariffs, this time about cars and ‘reciprocal’, we will basically present our plan in the same way we did with steel and aluminum,” said the CE spokesman for commerce, Olof Gill, during the institution’s daily press conference.
At the same time, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, is holding sectoral meetings with the representatives of the affected industries. On Monday he met with the representatives of the sectors of the steel and European automotive, on Tuesday with those of the pharmaceutical sector and this Wednesday he receives the Executive Director of Amcham EU, Malte Lohan, at the head of the US Chamber of Commerce in the European Union. (EFE)
