PARIS – European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom and US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross met in Paris on Wednesday to discuss looming US import tariffs on EU steel and aluminium, the European Commission said, but declined to speculate on the final outcome.
US President Donald Trump has imposed tariffs of 25% on incoming steel and 10% on aluminium, but granted the European Union a temporary exemption, which expires on Friday.
The Commission said Malmstrom and Ross had met to discuss the impending exemption expiry.
"We will not speculate on what the final decision from the US side will be. It is now up to the President of the United States to take that decision," a Commission spokesman said.
Malmstrom told the European Parliament on Tuesday that she hoped to secure a permanent exemption, with no tariffs or quotas, but that this was probably an unrealistic hope.