World leaders at the G7 Leaders Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, June 17, 2025.
Amber Fougere |Reuters
U.S. trading partners cautiously welcomed the United States Supreme Court decision On Friday, he moved to roll back much of President Donald Trump’s signature trade policy on global tariffs – but global trade bodies warned of continued uncertainty over import levies.
The law that governs import duties “does not authorize the president to impose customs duties,” ruled the majority six votes to three. in the long-awaited decision of the Supreme Court.
Hours after the ruling, Trump said he signed an executive order imposing a new 10 percent “global tariff.” “Section 122” tariffs will take effect “almost immediately,” Trump said. At a White House press briefing Friday afternoon, Trump denounced the “deeply disappointing” 6-3 decision. decision.
Trump’s tariff regime has had an impact a bunch of countries from the United Kingdom to India and the European Union. Some governments, such as Vietnam and Brazil, are still in negotiations.
Taiwan, home to the world’s largest contract chipmaker and producer of the most advanced semiconductors, said the flat 10% tariff rate would have an initial assessment of “limited impact” on its economy.
The island will continue to “closely monitor” developments and maintain close communication with the United States to understand specific measures and respond in a timely manner, the Taiwanese government said in a statement. statement SATURDAY.
French President Emmanuel Macron reportedly said the Supreme Court’s ruling proved the benefit of having an effective counterweight to power.
“It’s not bad to have a Supreme Court and, therefore, a rule of law,” he said at an event in Paris on Saturday, as cited by Reuters.
A British government spokesperson said the country would continue to work with the White House administration to understand how the decision would affect tariffs for the UK and the rest of the world.
“This is a matter for the US to determine, but we will continue to support UK businesses as further details are announced,” the spokesperson said.
“The UK enjoys the lowest reciprocal tariffs in the world and, whatever the scenario, we hope our privileged trading position with the US continues.” The United Kingdom acceptedmajor trade deal with the United States in May last year, which imposed a broad 10% levy on many products, but also included some exceptions on steel, aluminum, automobiles and pharmaceuticals.
The Supreme Court case focused primarily on reciprocal tariffs, and the ruling leaves much of the UK-US trade deal intact – including preferential sectoral tariffs on steel, pharmaceuticals and automobiles.
However, trade body the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said the US Supreme Court ruling adds to ongoing uncertainty around the levies.
William Bain, head of trade policy at the BCC, said the move “does little to clear the murky waters” for British businesses, warning that the president still has “other options at his disposal” to maintain his current regime on steel and aluminum tariffs.
“The court’s decision also raises questions about how US importers can recoup levies already paid and whether UK exporters can also receive a share of any rebate depending on commercial conditions,” Bain said in a statement. “For the UK, the priority remains to reduce tariffs as much as possible.”
Olof Gill, European Commission spokesman for trade and economic security, said businesses on both sides of the Atlantic depend on “stability and predictability”.
“We remain in close contact with the US administration as we seek clarification on the actions they intend to take in response to this decision,” Gill said. “So we continue to advocate for low rates and work to reduce them.”
Separately, Dominic LeBlanc, Canadian minister responsible for U.S.-Canada trade relations, said the decision “reinforces Canada’s position that the IEEPA tariffs imposed by the United States are unjustified.”
No commercial victory yetSeparately, Swissmem, the Swiss technology industry association, welcomed the decision but warned that the Trump administration could invoke other laws to “legitimize tariffs”, and called on Swiss policymakers to boost the country’s competitiveness with new free trade agreements.
“From the point of view of the Swiss export industry, this is a good decision. High customs duties have seriously damaged the technology industry. However, today’s decision does not yet achieve anything,” Swissmem said.
“High tariffs have seriously damaged the technology industry,” Swissmem wrote on X. “The main thing now is to quickly consolidate relations with the United States through a binding trade agreement.”
The International Chamber of Commerce noted that many businesses would welcome the move given the “significant pressure” placed on balance sheets in recent months.
“But businesses should not expect a simple process: the structure of US import procedures means that claims are likely to be administratively complex. Today’s decision remains worrying on this issue and clear guidance from the Court of International Trade and relevant US authorities will be essential to minimize avoidable costs and prevent litigation risks,” the ICC said.
— CNBC’s Jackson Peck and Greg Kennedy contributed to this story.
