TCT- News desk March 12
As a response to Washington’s Section 301 probe into 16 entities, including the EU, the European Commission said on Thursday it would respond “firmly and proportionately” to any breach of commitments under the European Union (EU)-U.S. trade deal, following Washington’s launch of a Section 301 investigation into 16 economic entities, including the EU.

European Commission Deputy Chief Spokesperson Olof Gill told a press briefing that the Commission would carefully review the details of the U.S. investigation and continue to ensure that the EU’s interests are fully protected.

The Commission would seek further clarification from Washington on how the Section 301 investigation would interact with the framework agreed under the EU-U.S. joint statement Mr.Olof said. “The Commission will respond firmly and proportionately to any breach of the joint statement commitments,” he further added.

The EU agreed to eliminate tariffs on all U.S. industrial products and introduce tariff-rate quotas for a wide range of U.S. agri-food products entering the EU market under a trade deal reached in July last year. In return, Washington would set a 15-percent tariff ceiling on most EU goods exported to the United States.