A US court has knocked down punitive tariffs on steel from Turkey

In 2018 and 2019, Donald Trump's government increased tariffs on Turkish steel by 50 percent. For Turkish steel exporters this means a considerable loss. Now the American Court of Commerce has declared the decision to be illegal.

Turkish exporters satisfied
Turkish exporters welcome the ruling and will now claim damages. Ismail Gülle, head of the Turkish Exporters' Association (TIM), said that the decision was correct, but that he was late. Before 2018, steel deliveries to the USA amounted to 900 million US dollars, after that it fell to 271 million dollars. A decrease of 70 percent, he explained.

Trump's arbitrariness

Adnan Aslan, head of the Turkish Association of Steel Exporters, said Turkish exports suffered from Trump's arbitrary decision. In 2017, the share of Turkish exports to the USA was 15 percent, now it is only about 3 percent.

"Donald Trump's decision was arbitrary. They raised tariffs on steel imports from 25 percent to 50 percent without consulting the steel industry," he said. The argument of national security does not count either since both countries are members of NATO. If the US does not recognise the court's decision, the WTO will be called upon, Aslan said.

Source and photo: Hürriyet