The United States has decided to exempt the European Union and several countries, including Mexico, Argentina and Brazil, from heavy tariffs on steel and aluminum, Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said Thursday (22.03.2018).
Speaking before Congress, Lighthizer said the exemptions apply "to the two North American Free Trade Agreement partners (Mexico and Canada). We also have the European Union. We have Australia, Argentina and Brazil, and obviously South Korea as well.".
On March 8, President Donald Trump's administration imposed tariffs of 25% on U.S. steel imports and 10% on aluminum imports, raising fears of a full-scale trade war.
Already when signing the Presidential Resolution that imposed these tariffs, Trump had anticipated that Mexico and Canada would remain "for now" exempted.
Mexico, Canada and the United States have already held seven rounds of negotiations to renegotiate the terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), but the parties have not yet reported any significant progress.
Canada is the largest supplier of steel to the American market, followed by Brazil.
On Monday, the government announced details of a process that countries interested in obtaining an exemption from these tariffs must follow.
Even the European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström was in Washington to negotiate that the EU would be safe from the controversial tariffs.
Good meeting here in snowy Washington DC with Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. We have agreed to immediately launch a process of discussion with President Trump and the Trump Administration on trade issues of common concern… 1/2
Aduana News foi o primeiro jornal aduaneiro da Argentina a lançar sua versão digital. Com mais de 20 anos de trajetória, suas publicações e iniciativas têm como objetivo oferecer o conhecimento mais relevante sobre temas aduaneiros, contribuindo para a promoção do comércio seguro e da facilitação do comércio na região.
