Trade Cases

USTR, Top EU Trade Official to Meet on Steel, Aluminum Agreement
July 14, 2023
US Trade Representative Katherine Tai will travel to Brussels next week to continue discussions on establishing a “Global Arrangement on Sustainable Steel and Aluminum” with the European Union.
Ambassador Tai will be in Belgium on July 20-21 to speak with European Commission EVP Valdis Dombrovskis. This is their second meeting in July, the USTR press office said in a statement on Friday, and “reflects the strong ongoing commitment from the US and the EU to reach consensus on the agreement by the October 2023 deadline.”
Recall that if a deadline is not reached by October, Section 232 tariffs on the EU, suspended since 2021, could resume. This could in return bring retaliatory measures by the EU.
Further details on the USTR’s meetings and events in Brussels will be provided at a later date, according to the statement.
By Ethan Bernard, ethan@steelmarketupdate.com
Latest in Trade Cases

Price on Trade: IEEPA tariffs head to the Supreme Court, DOJ ramps up trade enforcement
International trade law and policy remain a hot topic in Washington and beyond this week. We are paying special attention to the ongoing litigation of the president’s tariff policies and the administration’s efforts to heighten trade enforcement.

Mexico considers stiff tariffs for steel, autos, and other imports
Mexico is considering imposing steep tariffs on imports of steel, automobiles, and over 1,400 other products. Its target? Countries with which it does not have free trade agreements, mainly China, India, Thailand, and other South Asian nations.

Leibowitz: With ‘reciprocal’ tariffs struck down again in court, what happens next?
President Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Policy Act (IEEPA) were struck down again, this time on Aug. 29 by the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC). The legal and policy mess continues, with the next stop being the US Supreme Court.

Market unfazed by US circuit court’s IEEPA decision
Repealing any reciprocal tariffs placed by President Donald Trump on US imports of direct reduced iron (DRI), iron ore, hot-briquetted iron (HBI), and pig iron would have only a nominal impact on the US steel market, market participants said.

ITC votes to keep HR duties after sunset review
The US government determined this week that hot-rolled steel imports from a handful of countries continue to threaten the domestic steel industry.