EU comments on US section 232 Cars investigation

The European Union has on Friday 29 June submitted written comments to the US Department of Commerce in the framework of the on-going Section 232 National Security Investigation of imports of automobiles, including cars, SUVs, vans, light trucks and automotive parts.

The EU has also requested to participate in the public hearing to be held by the Department of Commerce scheduled for 19 and 20 July.

The EU takes the view, as was the case of the section 232 steel and aluminium tariffs, that this current investigation lacks legitimacy, factual basis and violates international trade rules. The EU reiterates its firm opposition to the proliferation of measures taken on supposed national security grounds for the purposes of economic protection. This development harms trade, growth and jobs in the US and abroad, weakens the bonds with friends and allies, and shifts the attention away from the shared strategic challenges that genuinely threaten the market-based Western economic model.