The minister of foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian in Cairo on April 29, 2018 (Photo KHALED DESOUKI . AFP)
France requested Tuesday for an exemption a “permanent” u.s. taxes on steel and aluminum, after the decision of the White House to grant a new stay of a month at its major allies, including the european Union (EU).
France “took note” of Washington’s decision and will “continue to advocate for EU received a total exemption, permanent, non-conditioned”, declare in a joint press release the minister of foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian and the minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire.
“There is no reason that the EU is subject to unilateral increases of customs duties on steel and aluminum”, they argue again, arguing that France and the european Union are not “at the origin of the excess capacity of global aluminum and steel”.
The us president, Donald Trump has promulgated on march 8, tariffs of 25 percent on imports of steel and of 10% on those aluminum while exempting immediately Canada and Mexico. At the end of march, it has also be exempt temporarily the EU.
The White House agreed Monday night to extend until June 1, this period of provisional exemption, thereby avoiding an escalation in the trade conflict.
France expressed its readiness to work with the United States and its other partners “to provide quick solutions and proper” to the problem of overcapacity in the sector of the aluminium and the steel.
“But we can only do so confidently when we are certain to be exempted permanently from the threat of rate increases, unilateral”, state ministers.
The Europeans have already warned that if they were subject to customs fees, measures of retaliation against products iconic american would be imposed.
In return, Donald Trump had alluded to other punitive taxes, especially against the strategic sector of the automotive of Germany, whose trade surpluses exacerbate the tenant of the White House.
