German economy minister hopes for EU exemption to US tariffs
March 22, 2018
In an official governmental declaration to the German parliament, the Bundestag, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier addressed the issue of US President Donald Trump's punitive duties of 25 percent on foreign steel and 10 percent on imported aluminum, which are set to take effect on March 23.
"In a few hours we will know what the US has decided about the proposed steel and aluminum tariffs, which countries will be exempt from them and the details of how they will be put into practice," Altmaier said.
Read more:US announces anti-dumping tariffs on steel wire products
The economy minister said that he had received positive signals from the American side on a visit to Washington earlier this week. He said he had found conversational partners with "open ears" for German and European arguments. Altmaier's remarks came after a hopeful statement by EU Trade Commisioner Cecilia Malmstrom.
"This afternoon, [Trump] will make an announcement on possible exclusions," Malmstrom told European lawmakers in Brussels."We expect that we are on that list, we don't know for sure."
The European Union has said it plans to challenge Trump's tariffs in the World Trade Organization if it is not granted an exception. The bloc has also threatened to respond in kind by limiting the imports to Europe of US steel and other products ranging from bourbon whiskey to blue jeans to motorcycles.
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Altmaier did not comment on the possibility of a tit-for-tat response or indeed an incipient global trade war, but he did say the tariffs had implications beyond the two specific industries concerned.
"This is not just a measure concerning two products on the world market, but rather the general principle of free trade worldwide without dumping prices," Altmaier said.
Trump has threatened to slap a 25 percent duty on German automobile imports, if the EU responds to US steel and aluminum tariffs with tariffs of its own. Germany's trade surplus with the US amounted to $64 billion (€52 billion) in 2017.
Left party understands Trump's position
But Trump's position has attracted some support on the political left in Germany. The Left party, which because of its socialist past is usually very critical of the US, says it can understand Trump's motivation for mooting the tariffs.
"The current trade conflict with the US was just a matter of a time," Left party economy spokesman Klaus Ernst said in a written statement. "The German government has thus far stubbornly refused to admit that its excessive orientation around exports harm other countries … For that reason the core of the talks with the US side now should be the eradication of export surpluses."
Read more: US trade deficit surges during Trump's first year in office
In the Bundestag, Ernst mocked the idea that the threat of countertariffs from the EU could inspire a change of position.
"What precisely did you tell the Americans?" Ernst asked the economy minister. "You think blue jeans and Harley Davidsons will impress Trump? What a joke."
Meanwhile, the Greens said that the EU should not be making major concessions to the US to avoid the tariffs.
"We would like to warn against doing bad deals," said Green party deputy parliamentary spokesperson Kerstin Andreae. "We are going to be monitoring what we have to give in return for an exemption very carefully."