The EU revives metal tariff dispute with the United States

The European Union intends to resume negotiations with the United States on reducing duties on steel and aluminum, which remain at historically high levels. EU Foreign Trade Minister Maros Sefcovic will meet with U.S. Trade Representative Jamison Greer on the sidelines of the ASEAN Ministerial Summit in Kuala Lumpur this week.

The European Commission proposes to introduce tariff quotas with low or zero rates for the supply of metals from the EU. According to Sefcovic, this decision would be a logical step, but Washington has not yet given an official response.

The topic of tariffs escalated again after the United States increased duties to 50% on more than 400 categories of goods, including steel and aluminum, in August. Earlier, in July, the parties concluded a framework agreement providing for mutual reduction of trade barriers, but its implementation has stalled.

The trade conflict over metals has been dragging on since 2018, when the Donald Trump administration introduced increased tariffs for the first time. Despite the change of government in the United States, it has not been possible to fully resolve this dispute. In 2024, steel exports from the EU to the United States amounted to about 3.8 million tons, one million less than before the introduction of tariffs.