EU, US NEIGHBOURS CAUTIOUSLY WELCOME TARIFF RULING
EU trade spokesman Olof Gill said that the 27-nation bloc was closely analysing the ruling.
“We remain in close contact with the US Administration as we seek clarity on the steps they intend to take in response to this ruling,” he said, stressing the need for “stability and predictability” in trade.
France’s economy minister Roland Lescure said the ruling showed that tariffs are “at the very least, open to debate”.
The German government told AFP it was in “close contact with the American government to obtain clarifications on the next steps”.
German industry group BDI was upbeat, with board member Wolfgang Niedermark saying the ruling was “clear proof that the separation of powers in the USA is still going strong”.
Britain’s government said that it expects its “privileged trading position with the US to continue”.
The close allies reached a trade deal last May that lifted tariffs on UK steel and aluminium products and slashed levies on British car exports from 27.5 per cent to 10 per cent.
“We will work with the administration to understand how the ruling will affect tariffs for the UK and the rest of the world,” a government spokesperson said.
Canadian International Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc said the ruling reinforces Ottawa’s position that the levies were “unjustified”.
But he noted that the tariffs causing the most pain in Canada – sector-specific measures affecting the steel, aluminium, and auto industries – remained in force.
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce cautioned against viewing the court’s decision as “a reset of US trade policy”.
“Canada should prepare for new, blunter mechanisms to be used to reassert trade pressure, potentially with broader and more disruptive effects,” the chamber’s president, Candace Laing, said in a statement.
Mexico, which sends 80 per cent of its exports to the United States, said it was studying the possible effects of the 10-per cent general tariff that Trump announced after the court verdict.
“First, we’re going to see what measures they will take to determine how this will affect our country,” Mexican Economic Minister Marcelo Ebrard said.