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Critical goods: don’t get by on your own supply
Critical goods: don’t get by on your own supply
There’s been a revival in talk of industrial policy and supply chains on both sides of the Atlantic. We remain unconvinced it’ll go anywhere
World Economy News
17 May 2021
• 6 min read
Hello from Brussels. The EU just announced it’s not raising any further the duties it put on US imports in retaliation for Donald Trump’s steel and aluminium tariffs back in 2018, an increase that was due to come in on June 1. In return for this reprieve it gets . . . what, exactly? More talks, it would appear. The US says a more comprehensive strategy to address global steel overcapacity is needed before it can lift tariffs. Well, yes, and free ice cream and a souvenir Make Protectionism Respectable Again baseball cap for all, but overcapacity is mainly a Chinese problem. How is the EU supposed to deliver it?