DistantNews
Support us
US Imposes New Tariffs, Norway Faces 12.5 Percent Levy
🇳🇴 Norway /Economy & Trade

US Imposes New Tariffs, Norway Faces 12.5 Percent Levy

From Aftenposten · () Norwegian

Translated from Norwegian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • The United States has imposed new tariffs ranging from 10 to 12.5 percent on goods from 60 countries, including Norway and the EU.
  • These tariffs are linked to a U.S. trade provision concerning forced labor, aiming to penalize "unfair foreign practices" affecting American businesses.
  • Norway's foreign minister criticized the move as "highly unreasonable," particularly the disparity in rates compared to the EU, despite Norway's commitment to implementing similar regulations.

The United States has enacted new tariffs, impacting Norway with a 12.5 percent levy on its goods, effective Friday. This move comes shortly before the expiration of former President Donald Trump's temporary global tariff regime.

These new tariffs, affecting 60 countries and economies, are framed by the U.S. as a measure against "unfair foreign practices that harm American businesses," specifically citing a provision related to forced labor. The U.S. Trade Representative's office had previously indicated Norway might face higher tariffs if it did not sufficiently enforce an import ban on goods produced with forced labor.

We are fundamentally at odds with this entire use of tariffs. We believe that it takes the world in the wrong direction. And we disagree with the new tariff on forced labor. We believe it is highly unreasonable to claim that Norway does not have regulations and practices against it.

— Espen Barth EideNorway's Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide expressing his disagreement with the new U.S. tariffs and the reasoning behind them.

Norway's Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide expressed strong disagreement with the U.S. action. "We are fundamentally at odds with this entire use of tariffs," Eide stated, calling the imposition "highly unreasonable." He particularly objected to the claim that Norway lacks adequate regulations against forced labor, emphasizing the country's commitment to adhering to international standards.

Eide also highlighted his dissatisfaction with the differing tariff rates applied to Norway and the EU. He pointed out that Norway, through its EEA agreement, is committed to implementing the same anti-forced labor regulations as the EU by the same deadline, making the differential treatment unjustified. The new tariffs replace a temporary 10 percent global tariff that expired Friday, which itself replaced earlier tariffs deemed illegal by the U.S. Supreme Court.

That regulation will also apply to us, because we are part of the EEA, and we will implement exactly the same regulation as the EU, at the same time as the EU at the latest. It is completely unreasonable to treat us differently.

— Espen Barth EideNorway's Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide explaining why he believes the differential tariff rates between Norway and the EU are unfair.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Aftenposten in Norwegian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog