EU businesses want to avoid trade wars

EU and Czech businesses were pleased that after a great effort by EU officials, the US announced that the EU will be exempted from the restrictive measures regarding additional duties on imports of steel and aluminium to the US until 1st May 2018.

Nonetheless, as this solution is only temporary, businesses urge EU representatives to do the utmost to turn this provisional exemption into a permanent one. To put the EU on the list of countries affected by the tariffs after expiration of the exemption could further jeopardise mutual relationships.

Although businesses acknowledge that if the EU stays on the list of countries affected by the tariffs after 1st May, the EU needs to react adequately without starting any gunfight of retaliation measures that would only harm businesses on both sides of the Atlantic. Czech businesses hope that the situation will be mitigated, rather than escalated as the US is an important market for Czech products with high added-value.