Marcelo Ebrard , head of the Ministry of Economy (SE) , held a meeting with Jamieson Greer , United States Trade Representative, in which, the Mexican official noted, there was progress on the issue of tariffs on steel and aluminum, although he did not reveal what these are.
Through his account on the social network X, Ebrard published that he had a “cordial conversation” with the US official.
Ebrard also met with Howard Lutnick , U.S. Secretary of Commerce, to present his case for Mexico’s exclusion from the aforementioned taxes.
On the same social network, the Mexican official posted: “We are moving toward solutions for our two great nations,” although he did not specify what those solutions were.
It’s worth remembering that Ebrard had announced he would hold meetings with his counterparts in the United States to make progress on the issue of steel and aluminum tariffs, which the president of our northern neighbor, Donald Trump , increased from 25% to 50% on June 4.
The new measure, according to the US president, is intended to strengthen the US industry producing these inputs.
The new tariff will apply to goods imported for consumption determined by the crossing date, or goods imported into free trade zones as of the aforementioned date.
Mexico has sought to reach an agreement on steel and aluminum tariffs through dialogue and negotiation, and a team led by Marcelo Ebrard has held meetings with U.S. trade representatives.
In response to the 50% increase in tariffs on steel and aluminum, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum called the measure “unfair” and unfounded by law. She announced that if she doesn’t reach an agreement with the United States government, some actions her administration will take on the issue will be announced next week.
Meanwhile, the National Chamber of the Iron and Steel Industry (Canacero) rejected the Trump administration’s decision and emphasized that the United States maintains a bilateral steel trade surplus with Mexico of four billion dollars in finished products, which will increase in 2025 due to the decline in Mexican exports.
The agency emphasized that Mexican steel does not pose a threat to the U.S. market; “on the contrary, we are complementary, and our country is completely open to U.S. exports.”
For its part, the National Chamber of the Aluminum Industry (Canalum) supported the Mexican government’s efforts in bilateral negotiations with its northern neighbor, and described the measure imposed by Trump as “unilateral, unjustified, and detrimental to both economies.”
In a statement, the agency considered that this decision represents “a direct threat to a strategic productive sector that constitutes a pillar of the national industry,” and asserted that Mexico has the capacity to transform aluminum, and therefore called on the federal government to integrate aluminum as a priority sector within Plan Mexico .
*Main photo taken from Marcelo Ebrard’s X account .
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