On May 17, 2021, in a joint press release, the European Union (EU) and the United States of America (US) announced the start of discussions to address global steel and aluminium excess capacity. The discussions will cover mutual concerns, and the parties will avoid further changes that negatively affect bilateral trade.

As a consequence, the additional customs duties on certain goods originating in the US and imported into the EU that were expected to be applicable from June 1, 2021 (Annex II Regulation (EU) 2018/886) are now suspended.

The link to the EU Commission press release can be found here:

https://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/press/index.cfm?id=2271

The US press release can be found here:

https://ustr.gov/about-us/policy-offices/press-office/press-releases/2021/may/joint-united-states-european-union-statement-addressing-global-steel-and-aluminum-excess-capacity

Annex II Regulation (EU) 2018/886 can be found here:

https://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2018/may/tradoc_156909.pdf