Trade dispute update: Harley-Davidson faces punitive tariffs again in 2024

Gescheiterte Verhandlungen zwischen den Vereinigten Staaten und der EU könnten 2024 wieder Strafzölle für Harley-Davidson ins Spiel bringen.

The current developments in the trade dispute between the EU and the USA also affect the special tariffs on Harley-Davidson motorcycles for the EU market if no agreement is reached in the customs dispute.

At a summit meeting on October 20, 2023, the EU and the US were unable to reach an agreement to resolve important trade disputes. The negotiations were aimed at eliminating competitive disadvantages for European steel and aluminum exporters on the US market in the long term, but no agreement was reached.

The special tariffs introduced by the then US government on steel and aluminum imports in 2018 remain a point of contention. A provisional agreement in 2021 limited the impact of these tariffs, but a long-term solution has not yet been found.

If no solution is found by 2024, special tariffs could again be imposed on all European steel and aluminum exports imported into the US. In response, the EU could in turn impose special tariffs on US products such as bourbon whiskey, Harley-Davidson motorcycles and jeans.

Harley-Davidson had already announced in April 2021 that it would take legal action against higher EU tariffs. Should the conflict resurface in 2024 and Harley-Davidson be affected again, the Milwaukee-based company, under the leadership of Jochen Zeitz, will certainly take direct action against it.

This current situation indicates an ongoing tension between the EU and the US, with the possibility of another special tariff on Harley-Davidson motorcycles in 2024 if no agreement is reached.