WTO withholds decree on US’ aluminium and steel tariff dispute with six nations

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has impeded its dispute panel’s decree on the United States tariff with six nations including Russia, India and China against higher duties on some aluminium and steel products to the second half of 2022 adducing “complexity of the issue”.

A Geneva-based official stated, “Due to the complexity of the dispute, the Panel now expects to issue its final report to the parties no earlier than the last quarter of 2022.”

The three European nations Norway, Turkey and Switzerland had also tugged the United States to the WTO on the White House’s move to impose 10% and 25% import duties on certain aluminium and steel products in 2018. However, the US had voiced that the duties were steps for national security.

Concerning this issue, India protested that the duties were not in accord with provisions of the WTO's General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1994 and of the Agreement on Safeguards.

Accordingly, India had complained of multiple violations of WTO norms, such as discrimination against imports, quotas and tariffs used to obtain voluntary export restraints, which led to a panel being established by the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) in December 2018.