With the G20 Heads of State and Government Summit being held this weekend in Rome, the European Boating Industry issued a statement, along with the National Marine Manufacturers Association and 74 other signatories, calling for U.S. and E.U. leaders to resolve the Section 232 steel and aluminum tariff dispute.
“The clock is ticking, time to end tariffs once and for all,” EBI said. “[We] urge U.S. and E.U. leaders to reach an agreement to remove retaliatory tariffs, and the threat of tariffs, on products unrelated to the dispute.”
Earlier this year, the NMMA estimated that since the retaliatory tariffs were put in place in 2018, U.S. boatbuilders have seen a 40 percent decrease in exports, with an estimated loss of more than $400 million in sales.
The statement reads, in part:
“Tariffs, and the threat of tariffs, are acting as major barriers at a time when we want to focus on creating jobs, growth and investments in both Europe and the U.S.
We welcome the E.U.’s decision not to impose the second tranche of rebalancing tariffs on 1 June to de-escalate the Section 232 dispute and the pledge made by the U.S. and E.U. to find a solution before 1 December. However, with only a month left before the 1 December deadline, we now need to see a permanent resolution of this dispute, which has already lasted far too long.”
The complete statement and the list of signatories can be found here.
