Ue: "US tariffs on forced labor products are unjustified"

“US tariffs based on forced labor are unjustified.” This was stated by the Commission spokesperson Olof Gill referring to the Trump administration’s decision to raise tariffs against those countries that exploit the forced labor.

Gill, US tariffs unjustified

“As we have said in the past, an agreement is an agreement. On the European side, we are on track to ensure the implementation of the tariff commitments set out in the Joint Declaration by the end of June. – continued the spokesperson – We expect the United States to fully respect the terms of the Joint Declaration, and the Commission will continue to ensure that the interests of the European Union are fully protected”.
On the point raised by Donald TrumpGill points out: “as we have consistently reiterated throughout the process, the European Union fully shares the concerns of the United States regarding forced labor and remains fully committed to eliminating it from global value chains through concrete actions.”
“In fact, in 2024, the EU co-legislators adopted the Forced Labor Regulation, one of the most ambitious instruments of its kind in the world. It introduces a ban on placing on the EU market any product made with forced labour, regardless of whether it comes from the EU or a third country” he concluded.

The US proposal

Yesterday the United States Trade Representative had proposed new tariffs for 60 countries accused of failing to act against forced labor, as part of the Trump administration’s attempt to revive its tariff policy after legal setbacks. The proposed duties range from 10% to 12.5%, according to a government document, and will be subject to a period of public consultation before a final decision. The move comes just months after Washington launched investigations into trading partners such as China, the European Union and Japan, focusing on whether they took measures against the import of goods produced with forced labor and whether this had an impact on US trade. According to the Ustr, 54 of the countries under scrutiny “have failed to effectively impose and enforce the ban on the import of goods produced with forced labor”.

The list of countries in the American list

This group of countries includes China, Vietnam, Taiwan e United Kingdom. Six other countries – Canada, Ecuador, the European Union, Indonesia, Mexico and Pakistan – were deemed unable to effectively enforce such bans. “The failure of our major trading partners to address the importation of goods produced with forced labor is unacceptable,” U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said in a statement. “This creates a situation where American workers are forced to compete globally on an unequal playing field,” he added. However, the proposed duties include several exemptions, such as for beef, coffee and some dried fruit.