Earlier this week, J. Greer’s office (USTR) proposed new 10-12.5% tariffs, which would apply to 60 countries due to alleged inaction in combating forced labor. This move has created new tensions in relations with key trading partners.
Read more From June – more transparency in salaries: what’s important to know
The EU was quick to protest the findings that it failed to introduce and enforce bans on importing goods produced using forced labor. Brussels urged Washington to fully comply with the terms of the so-called Terneber trade agreement reached last year, under which US tariffs on most European goods will not exceed 15%.
“We understand that an agreement is an agreement, and we will take the Terneber agreement into account,” J. Greer said, participating in a meeting at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris.
He stated that the US administration wants to resolve the issue of trade practices that investigations by the US Trade Representative (USTR) have identified as problematic.
“Since we believe that the Ternber agreement resolves many of these issues if it is fully implemented,… we believe there are opportunities to align that agreement with what we are doing, provided that the European Union fulfills the Ternber agreement,” J. Greer said.
Read more For residents’ electric vehicles – another 12 million euros in support
Prompted by US pressure, the 27 EU member states and the European Parliament last month began the final approval process for the Ternber agreement to meet the July 4 deadline set by the D. Trump administration.
After the US Supreme Court overturned part of the tariffs imposed by D. Trump in February, US officials initiated new trade sector investigations to introduce long-term tariffs.
In addition to investigations into forced labor, J. Greer also launched investigations into excess industrial capacity.
