EU Pressures U.S. to Remove Tariffs on Metal-Based Products

The European Union is pressing the United States to remove tariffs on products made from steel and other metals, EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič said on Tuesday, as Brussels seeks to advance the still-pending parts of the EU–U.S. tariff agreement.

Under their joint accord, the two transatlantic partners are working on ways to shield their steel, aluminum, and derivative products from excess global production capacity. This could involve replacing the current 50% U.S. tariff with duty-free access or reduced-tariff quotas.

The European Commission, which manages trade policy for the 27-member bloc, believes it has fulfilled its side of the deal by raising tariffs on steel to 50%, cutting existing import quotas in half, and introducing clearer rules of origin for steel products.

Šefčovič said the EU’s proposal—still awaiting approval from EU governments and the European Parliament—was “closely aligned” with Washington’s approach to protecting its domestic steel industry from excess capacity.

Speaking at a press conference after a meeting of EU trade ministers in Denmark, he added:

“Once we secure our markets in a similar manner, it will be time to discuss steel derivatives. I believe we should end the current practice where we have to calculate how much steel is in a fridge or a dishwasher.”

Šefčovič said he had outlined this proposal in a letter to his U.S. counterparts.

The U.S. tariffs apply not only to steel and aluminum themselves but also to a wide range of ‘derivative’ products made from these metals.

In August, the U.S. expanded its list of derivative products by 407 categories, imposing 50% tariffs on goods containing steel and aluminum, along with a universal 15% rate on non-metal components imported from the EU.

The affected categories include wind turbines, bulldozers, railcars, motorcycles, automotive exhaust systems, refrigerators, freezers, and dryers.