BERLIN (Reuters) - The European Union should consider filing a complaint at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) against the United States over planned duties on imports of steel plate from five EU member states, the German foreign minister said on Friday.
Sigmar Gabriel said the U.S. government seemed prepared to give U.S. firms "unfair competitive advantage" over European producers even though this violated international trade law.
"We Europeans cannot accept this. The EU must now examine whether it also files a complaint at the WTO. I strongly support this," Gabriel said.
The U.S. Department of Commerce made a final finding that seven foreign producers dumped certain carbon and alloy steel cut-to-length plate in the U.S. market, allowing it to impose duties ranging from 3.62 percent to 148 percent, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Thursday.
In Germany, duties were set at 5.38 percent for AG der Dillinger Hüttenwerke, 22.90 percent for the Salzgitter group (DE:SZGG) and 21.03 percent for all other exporters and producers.