Macron and Merkel Round on Trump as Europe Rages Over Steel Tariffs

EU Says It Will Refuse to Negotiate
with 'Sword of Damocles' Over Its Head

By Jon Stone

French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Angela Merkel have rounded on Donald Trump over planned steel tariffs on EU producers, telling the US president to scrap his new policy if he wants to negotiate betters trade terms with Europe.

The European leaders reiterated their common position that they would be happy to address Mr Trump’s complaints about the “unfair” way US businesses are treated by the EU – but only if European steel producers are permanently exempted from the new tariffs.

In March, Mr Trump slapped 25 per cent tariffs on steel imports and 10 per cent tariffs on foreign aluminium, but gave the 28 EU countries a temporary exemption until the end of May.

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Source: The Independent