The EU can respond to the american protective duties on steel with its own countermeasures against the united states and a notification to the world trade organisation, the WTO.
It said EU trade commissioner Cecilia Malmström to the News agency Directly on Tuesday.
The united states is expected shortly, perhaps this week, announcing the restrictions in this means that steel imports for reasons of security, according to a cooperative from 1962, known as the ”section 232”.
”First, there is the opportunity to appeal the decision to the WTO. And then you can take countermeasures. It is a framework for how it goes. We may look at it when the decision will”, said Cecilia Malmström.
The regulatory framework provides for, inter alia, that the trade policy measures – tariffs and other instruments – should be proportionate.
On Monday said the U.S.’s trade minister, Wilbur Ross to Trump the administration is prepared for lawsuits within the united states and in the WTO, and has taken this into account.
Cecilia Malmström did not want to use the word ”trade war” for the situation that appears to occur.
But she said that the US action will hit hard against the EU’s steel industry and that the EU must react.
Exactly how the EUROPEAN commission reacts will also be done in consultation with the EU countries, she said.
Regarding the discussion on the EU summit on Thursday-Friday about the tightened control of foreign corporate takeovers of EU companies in sensitive industries said handelskommissionären that the legal situation must first be clarified.
”We need to see what is legally possible to do on the EU level. Many EU countries have national legislation. Maybe countries can learn from each other,” she said.
She stressed that the EU wants to attract foreign investment, and that it’s all about finding the right balance.
The proposal is supposed to tighten the screening of purchases made by, for example, chinese state-owned companies.
The proposal is driven by, among other things, of France. The lifelong EU countries, including Sweden, is opposed to the proposal.
Tradingportalen/Agency Directly.
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