The recent announcements on steel and aluminum tariffs have created a great deal of uncertainty amongst Danish companies with production in US. Please find below a short update on the latest events.
On March 22, President Donald J. Trump authorized a modification of the ‘Section 232’ tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. The following countries were exempted until May 1st at which time the President will decide again whether to continue the exemption or not: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, the member countries of the European Union and South Korea. The European Union will keep negotiating on behalf of its member countries.
Industry Minister: Good dialog about the new proposal
In the beginning of March, the Danish Minister for Industry, Business and Financial Affairs, Brian Mikkelsen, met with Secretary Ross to a talk about the steel and aluminum tariffs.
“We had a very good dialog about the new proposal from the President about trade tariffs on steel and aluminum. Our standpoint from Denmark is that all kind of trade tariffs will mean problems for European industry, for American industry and for American and European consumers. In Denmark we believe in free trade, that will be beneficial for both America and Europe,” says Brian Mikkelsen who also adds that it was a very constructive meeting where it was agreed to look into further cooperation.
Secretary Ross, in consultation with other Administration officials, will evaluate the exclusion requests for products, taking into account national security considerations. In this evaluation, the Secretary will consider whether a product is produced in the United States at a satisfactory quality and/or sufficient and reasonably available amount.
Embassy Update on Steel and Aluminum
On March 21st, the Embassy invited all ADBC members for a briefing by Klaus Juel Werner , Head of Economic Department. We hope that this briefing was helpful for you, and we will continue to provide these kinds of briefings for our companies whenever it is relevant to trade policy.
Feel free to contact the ADBC Secretariat or the Economic Department here at the Embassy for specific updates – we are here to support and assist you.