Aluminum France and European Aluminum regret the decision of the United States to impose additional customs duties of 10% on aluminum products from Europe from June 1.
The French and European aluminum industries do not threaten the national security of the United States, the volumes exported from Europe to the United States are not significant (in 2017, 0.2 million tonnes imported from Europe including 0.03 million tonnes from France). They call on the EU to seek arbitration of trade disputes at the WTO on these unjustified measures.

Already recalled many times in recent months, European aluminum exports must be exempted from additional taxes. The aluminum industry is extremely concerned about these unjustified unilateral measures which jeopardize the many industrial clusters, innovation poles and transatlantic synergies shared with the United States.

French and European industry risk being impacted by the reorientation of aluminum flows from third countries targeted by US measures. These flows could significantly increase imports of aluminum semi-finished products in Europe, which creates an untenable distortion of competition for European producers and particularly for SMEs.

Our industrial organizations are in favor of a global aluminum market based on common, free and fair multilateral rules. They are counting on the French public authorities and the European Commission to immediately challenge these taxes and implement safeguard measures if this proves necessary.

The taxes have negative and unintended consequences on the aluminum industry and they do not solve the main cause of the distortions of the world market: the increase in Chinese aluminum overcapacity.

The aluminum industry hopes that the United States realizes that this global challenge can only be effectively managed through a long-term solution based on multilateral rules with the establishment of a World Aluminum Forum within the G20. The next G7 in Canada should be an opportunity to obtain political approval for the creation of a World Aluminum Forum ahead of the G20 summit in Argentina.

In collaboration with its counterparts from Canada, the United States, Japan and Europe, Aluminum France is participating in the meeting of the aluminum industry of the G7 member countries on June 3 and 4 in Montreal in order to define a roadmap focused on overcapacity management policies.

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