US President Donald Trump announced the tax on his social media platform Truth Social on Saturday. FME fears the negative consequences of these rates for Dutch industry.
The port of Rotterdam also responds “that especially the loading parties in the port will notice the consequences of import duties from the US,” said a port spokeswoman for the US president’s announcement to introduce import duties of 30 percent.
Trump announces levying of 30 percent on European products
The spokeswoman explains that ‘in general import duties in the US have an impact on the volumes that are skipped in the port of Rotterdam, but in particular for the parties who instruct goods and products to be transported’.
Insecurity
The US is the third largest export partner of goods produced in the Netherlands. That makes the trade relationship important for the Netherlands, the spokeswoman explains.
“But certainly also for other European countries because a large part of exports run through the port of Rotterdam. In the end, nobody benefits from a potential trade war and the US remains an important trading partner,” said the spokeswoman, who indicates that he closely follows the situation.
FME hopes that the EU and the US will still reach an agreement. “This uncertainty does not contribute to the stability of Dutch technology industry,” the spokesperson emphasized.