World Trade Organisation (WTO), Deputy Director-General, Karl Brauner, has said there is no basis in the WTO rules for U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminium.
It also urged that the European Union should proceed cautiously when responding to the measures.
“I see no basis in WTO law for the tariffs imposed by the U.S.,” Brauner told Wirtschaftswoche, a German magazine.
“A trade war is not automatic. It only occurs when an action is reacted to – and possibly triggers a chain reaction,” he said, adding that the EU should “be extremely cautious and fine-tune (its) planned tariffs to minimize the collateral damage to local businesses.”
Agency Report