The European Union on Friday submitted a request for consultations with the United States on steel and aluminium tariffs announced by Washington, a first step in the WTO dispute settlement process, a World Trade Organization official said.
"The WTO Secretariat has received the EU request for dispute settlement consultations on the US Section 232 measures," the official told Reuters, adding that the text would only be made public once it was circulated to all WTO member states.
Earlier, EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom announced the bloc would take the United States to the WTO to challenge the legality of the new tariffs, saying negotiations with Washington were not currently possible.