The European Union has pledged to “respond firmly” to any violation of its tariff agreement with the United States after the Trump administration announced new trade probes targeting overproduction and goods made with forced labour.
The inquiries, set out by Jamieson Greer, the current U.S. Trade Representative have raised questions over the future of the EU-U.S. tariff pact.
European Commission spokesperson Olof Gill said the EU would seek further clarity on how these investigations interact with last year’s trade agreement, adding
The commission would respond firmly and proportionately to any breach of the joint statement commitments.
The agreement’s stability was recently challenged when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that President Trump lacked the authority to impose levies under a 1977 law. In response, the U.S. introduced new tariffs of 10% on imported goods.
Despite this, the EU maintains that it is adhering to the accord and expects the United States to honour the deal as well. According to Gill:
We have not received any indication that the U.S. administration intends to deviate from those commitments.
EU lawmakers are also preparing to take further steps to implement Europe’s side of the agreement. The European Parliament’s trade committee may give the green light next week to remove tariffs on U.S. industrial goods, a critical component of fulfilling the deal.
