“The new supplements set forth the process for how parties in the United States may submit requests for exclusions from actions taken by the President … to protect national security from threats resulting from imports of specialized articles,” the announcement said.
READ MORE: EU May Respond to US Metal Tariffs With Safeguard Measures — Juncker
Separate exclusion requests must be submitted for each unique steel or aluminum product import and the requester must provide a full factual description of the specific product, its properties, and its quantity, the Commerce Department said in a press release on Sunday.
“These procedures will allow the Administration to further hone these tariffs to ensure they protect our national security while also minimizing the undue impact on downstream American industries,” Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross said.
On March 8, US President Donald Trump signed a new controversial policy to impose 25-percent and 10-percent tariffs on imported steel and aluminum respectively.
The decision of the United States has already been widely criticized by a number of countries and officials around the world. EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said that the 28-nation bloc could consider the introduction of responsive measures against certain groups of US products. International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde warned that, if implemented, US tariffs could lead to a trade war that would have grave macroeconomic consequences.