Title:EU Tariffs On US Goods To Take Effect In Early July

By Jorge Valero

Jorge Valero

(EurActiv) — The EU is set to impose €2.8billion worth in tariffs on US exports in early July in response to duties Donald Trump's administration has levied on European steel and aluminium, the European Commission confirmed on Wednesday (6 June).

欧盟委员会于6月6日星期三确认，针对唐纳德·特朗普政府对欧洲钢和铝征收的关税，欧盟将于7月初对美国的出口品征收28亿欧元的关税。

The Commission proposed to the member states to maintain the full list of tariffs, which include iconic products such as Levi's jeans and Harley Davidson motorcycles, instead of a gradual implementation to contain the dispute.

委员会向成员国建议保全关税清单，其中包括像Levi牛仔裤和Harley Davidson摩托车这样的标志性产品，而不是逐步实施以遏制这一争端。

If a majority of EU countries don't oppose during the approval process in the next few weeks, the executive said the procedure would conclude by the end of June and the tariffs would start applying in July.

如果今后几周内大多数欧盟国家不反对批准程序，高管说该程序将在6月底结束，关税将在7月开始适用。

Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström said the counterbalancing measure represented a  "measured and proportionate response to the unilateral and illegal decision"  by US President Donald Trump to levy 25% and 10% on European steel and aluminium, respectively.

贸易专员Cecilia Malmstr&ouml表示，平衡措施是美国总统唐纳德·特朗普(Donald Trump)对欧洲钢铁和铝征收25%和10%税金的“单方面和非法决定”的计量和适度的反应。各自为政。

The Commission challenged the US measures before the World Trade Organisation last week.

上周，欧盟委员会向世界贸易组织(WTO)质疑美国的措施。

Malmström argued that the European duties were in line with the WTO. If the organisation confirms that the US duties were illegal, or after a period of three years, the EU could impose further tariffs worth €3.6 billion, to match the total economic impact of the US penalties on European metals, estimated at €6.4 billion.

Malmström辩称，欧洲的义务与世贸组织是一致的。如果该组织确认，美国的关税是非法的，或者在三年之后欧盟可以进一步征收价值36亿欧元的关税，以配合美国对欧洲金属的惩罚对经济产生的总体影响，估计为64亿欧元。

But this may not be the end of the dispute, as Trump also told his administration to look into the car exports into the US market.

但这可能并不是争端的结束，特朗普也告诉他的政府调查美国市场的汽车出口。

Malsmtröm admitted last week that she was following the inquiry into the car industry  "with a lot of anxiety" .

上周，马尔斯姆特尔öm承认，她跟踪了汽车行业的调查——“非常焦虑”。

Despite the growing trade dispute, both sides are trying to contain the damage and address together China's  "distorting practices" . They are seen by the US and EU officials as the  "root causes"  of the excess of steel production, which triggered the tariffs and the forced transfer of technology imposed on foreign companies.

尽管贸易争端日益增多，双方仍试图控制损害，并共同解决中国的“扭曲做法”。美国和欧盟官员认为这是导致钢铁生产过剩的“根本原因”，导致对外国公司征收的关税和强行转让技术。

European Commission Vice-President Jyrki Katainen recalled that the European offer to lower tariffs on certain products and to reform the WTO, in line with US wishes, is  "still valid" .

欧盟委员会副主席卡塔因宁回顾说，欧洲提出的降低某些产品的关税和按照美国的意愿改革世贸组织的提议“仍然有效”。

"If Americans want to start improving trade environment, they can always find a friend on this side of the Atlantic,"  he said.

他说：“如果美国人希望开始改善贸易环境，他们总是能找到大西洋这一边的朋友。”

As the risk of an escalation increases, Katainen warned that it is not only in the European but also in the American interest  "to contain the problem and not to expand it" .

随着升级风险的增加，卡塔宁警告说，不仅在欧洲，而且在美国利益中，遏制问题而不扩大它。

"Many American producers who are deliberating buying high-quality steel and aluminium from European producers have already now suffered significantly because the prices have gone up,"  the vice president told the press.

副总裁向新闻界表示：“许多正在考虑从欧洲生产商购买高质量钢铁和铝的美国生产商，由于价格上涨，已经遭受了严重的打击。

Katainen said the problem is  "quite concentrated in the administration"  because Congressmen from both parties continue to oppose protectionism, just like American businessmen do.

卡塔因宁说，这个问题非常集中于政府，因为国会议员们继续反对保护主义，就像美国商人一样。