US 'playing dangerous game' with metal tariffs, says EU

US 'playing dangerous game' with metal tariffs, says EU
By Damon Embling
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Brussels will take Washington to World Trade Organisation to challenge legality of trade move

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America's "playing a dangerous game" which risks harming the EU's economic recovery. That from Brussels, as the US slaps tariffs on imports of steel and aluminium from the bloc.

Retaliatory measures are now planned - and Europe will take Washington to the World Trade Organisation to challenge the legality of its move.

A 'dangerous game'

The EU's Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom told reporters: "I would not use the term trade war because it has a psychological effect as well and we are not there. 

"But the situation is worrying, it could escalate and also the recovery, the economic recovery that we have seen lately not only in the European Union but also globally, risks of course to be diminished by this. So, the US is playing a dangerous game here."

The EU plans to tax things like whiskey and Harley motorcycles as it strikes back at the US.

'Deep concerns' about relations

"The EU-US relationship is one of the strongest in the world, in fact it's the largest in the world, it provides 15 million jobs on both sides of the Atlantic, and two trillion (euros) in investment. So deep concerns there about how this relationship is going to continue, going forward," Susan Danger, CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce to the EU, told Euronews. 

"What we are concerned about is now the risk of an escalation, an escalation turning into further trade dispute and tit for tat measures, these aren't going to help anyone at all."

Canada and Mexico are also being hit by the Trump tariffs. Canada's already announced it'll hit US imports worth almost 13 billion dollars.

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