Trade wars: update on US tariffs

Anthony Buckley
Anthony Buckley
CEO, Anthony Buckley Consulting Ltd., Ireland
Published 09 Mar 2025

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This webinar recording gives customs and trade-compliance professionals an update on the fast-moving US tariff situation under President Trump as it stood on 4 March 2025, together with the EU's official response.

Topics covered:

  • The timeline of US tariff measures: the 10% China tariff of 4 February 2025, and the 4 March 2025 tariffs of 25% on Mexico, 25% on Canada (except energy) and an additional 10% on China
  • Planned further US tariffs on aluminium and steel, agricultural products and foreign cars, and Section 232 investigations into copper and timber imports
  • The removal of the US $800 de minimis threshold for Chinese and cross-border goods, and the uncertainty over retrospective effect
  • China's retaliatory measures: export/purchase restrictions on named US companies, the "unreliable entities" list, a Google monopoly investigation, agricultural tariffs, and rare-mineral export restrictions
  • Canada's retaliatory tariff on US imports and the market impact on European car manufacturers and suppliers
  • China's WTO dispute complaint over loss of de minimis and drawback treatment, and how the WTO consultation/panel process works
  • The White House's "fair and reciprocal" trade plan and the EU's official response and published Q&A, including EU-US trade and investment figures
  • Whether VAT is a "tariff", and the EU-US car/pickup-truck tariff comparison
  • The European Commission's simplification agenda, including the new CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism) de minimis exemption for smaller importers

For a broader overview of the topic, please watch the full recording. The slides are available in the Resources section.

Please note that this summary was generated using AI, based on the recording and available slides.

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