The Federation of Enterprises in Belgium (FEB) is not keen on new US tariffs on EU-imported goods, saying tariffs will continue to harm businesses and transatlantic trade.
The new duties follow a US investigation that concluded the EU is not doing enough to prevent goods made with forced labour from entering international trade.
In a statement on Friday, the FEB said it was difficult to understand why the EU had been targeted, arguing that the bloc already has a comprehensive legal framework to keep produce made with forced labour off the European market.
It added that the new blanket tariffs, combined with existing sector-specific duties, would continue to have negative consequences for businesses and transatlantic value chains.
Despite its criticism, the FEB welcomed the fact that the EU will face a 10% tariff, rather than a higher rate.
According to the federation, this suggests that Europe's efforts to implement the transatlantic trade agreements have been recognised and have helped avoid "a less favourable scenario" for European businesses.
