All news

WTO set up an arbitral group on Russia-US dispute over steel, aluminum duties

Also China, India, the EU, Canada, Mexico, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey are to appeal against the US import duties

MOSCOW, November 21. /TASS/. The WTO has established a panel on the dispute between Russia and the United States over duties on steel and aluminum, Russia’s Economic Development Ministry said in a statement.

"On November 21, 2018, at a meeting of the dispute settlement authority of the World Trade Organization, it was decided to establish a panel in a dispute initiated by Russia to appeal against additional US duties on steel and aluminum imports," the ministry’s press service reported.

Besides Russia, also China, India, the EU, Canada, Mexico, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey are to appeal against the US import duties. According to the Economic Development Ministry, "these disputes come to the stage of consideration by arbitral groups almost simultaneously, in most of them such groups were established also on November 21, 2018."

In March, the US slapped import duties on steel and aluminum (25% and 10% respectively). They are applied to all the countries except Australia and Argentina. Brazil and South Korea were freed only from duties on steel.

Russia’s Economic Development Ministry estimated the damage from the US duties on aluminum and steel at $600 mln.

In response Russia imposed additional duties (25-40%) on goods from the US in particular on some types of road construction equipment, oil and gas equipment and optical fiber.