US Responds to EU's Request for Steel Tariff Cuts: "Ease Digital Regulations First"

First High-Level U.S.-EU Meeting Since July
Up to 50% Tariffs Imposed on EU Steel and Aluminum

The United States has demanded that the European Union (EU) first ease digital regulations in response to the EU's request to lower tariffs on steel and aluminum.

Howard Lutnick, U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce, is speaking with reporters after attending a working lunch with EU trade ministers held in Brussels, Belgium, on the 24th (local time). Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

According to Reuters and other sources, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick told reporters after a meeting with EU trade ministers held in Brussels, Belgium, on the 24th (local time), "If a balanced approach is presented regarding digital regulations, we can address the issues of steel and aluminum."

This meeting marked the first high-level talks between the two sides since the tariff negotiations between the EU and the United States were concluded in July. At this meeting, the EU had planned to demand both a reduction of the current tariffs-up to 50%-imposed on EU steel and aluminum, as well as the removal of tariffs on other EU products such as wine and pasta.

Previously, the United States had proposed applying a 15% tariff rate to most EU imports, while exempting certain key items such as aircraft, generic pharmaceuticals, and semiconductor manufacturing equipment. However, EU member states have persistently requested that their main export products also be added to the exemption list.

Lutnick's remarks are interpreted as pressuring the EU to first revise its regulations in the digital sector in response to these demands.

U.S. President Donald Trump has criticized the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) and Digital Services Act (DSA), which target major U.S. big tech companies such as Google and Amazon.