Europe’s top trade official has underlined the EU’s willingness to ally with the US in fighting steel overproduction by China, ahead of a potentially decisive visit to Washington aimed at securing an exemption from punitive tariffs.
Cecilia Malmstrom, the EU’s trade commissioner, is due in the US capital on Tuesday to make the case that European producers should not be hit by 25 per cent tariffs on steel and 10 per cent tariffs on aluminium, which are due to take effect on Friday.
“We want to work with the US and other partners in the world to address the root causes of this issue,” she said on Monday. “We have different tools to do that. We are willing to reinforce them and look at others.”