Commerce Secretary Suggests Steel Tariffs, TTIP Negotiations Could Be Linked
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, speaking on Bloomberg television, implied an exemption for Europe to steel and aluminum tariffs could be linked to a broader trade deal. Ross was responding to a Bloomberg TV reporter who said the European Commission said…
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the U.S. was looking to negotiate the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, commonly called TTIP. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who is in the Senate leadership, tweeted out the March 29 story on March 30. Ross dismissed the idea that reopening TTIP is news. Trump "terminated the Trans-Pacific deal. He did not terminate TTIP. We're open to discussions with the European Commission. That is nothing new. That's a long-standing objective." Last year, the European Commission said it would like to talk again about the TTIP if there's the political will to do so (see 1710170018). Despite the extended timelines normally associated with negotiating comprehensive trade agreements, Ross did not say whether the EU's current tariff exemption would be extended beyond May 1, when the temporary exemption is scheduled to end.