The European Union's top trade official says that the bloc doubts U.S. President Donald Trump wants to slap heavy tariffs on steel and aluminum imports for national security reasons, but rather seeks economic gain.
Trump has long railed against what he deems unfair trade practices by China and others, and last week declared that he would levy penalties of 25 percent on imported steel and 10 percent on aluminum imports.
EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem told reporters in Brussels that Trump's rationale appears to invoke the international legal right to protect national security.
She said: "We have serious doubts about that justification. We cannot see how the European Union, friends and allies in NATO, can be a threat to international security in the U.S."
