13 February 2026 – According to media reports, the United States is planning to suspend at least some of the steel and aluminum tariffs on so-called derivatives that have been in force since 2025. Meanwhile in Europe, the debate over cutting red tape raises a question: is this truly a sign of progress from Brussels, or are faxes simply harder to delete than text messages?
Steel and Aluminum: US Plans to Suspend Some Tariffs
The US Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum were not only raised to 50% by US President Donald Trump last year, but were also extended to several hundred derivative products with high steel and aluminum content.
Section 232 Tariffs Weigh on the US Economy
As reported by the Financial Times, the US administration now plans to suspend tariffs on at least some of these derivative products, as they are seen as harming the US economy-and therefore US consumers. An expansion of Section 232 tariffs to additional products also appears to be off the table for the time being.
At present, there are no indications that changes will apply to core commodity steel and aluminum products such as sheet, coil, pipe, or bar.
Cutting Bureaucracy in Europe: A Glimmer of Hope from Brussels?
One might almost think that Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, has discovered a newfound enthusiasm for reducing bureaucracy.
During remarks on Thursday, she joked in the European Parliament that some member states, Germany among them, still preferred communication by fax when discussing excessive bureaucracy in Europe. The comment drew laughter.
Faxes Harder to Delete Than Text Messages?
Her reference to fax machines concerned possible areas for cutting red tape. But perhaps the concern about faxes has another dimension: fax transmissions, or at least fax storage, are considerably harder to delete than SMS messages.
This speculation comes as the European Commission was once again searched by Belgian federal police yesterday. The investigation reportedly concerns potential irregularities related to property sales worth approximately €900 million during von der Leyen’s first term.
Cut Bureaucracy – But Start in the Right Place
To be clear: we explicitly support cutting bureaucracy.
However, whether fax machines should be the starting point is open to debate. Perhaps Brussels should instead apply its initiative against “addictive design” in social media, where platforms such as TikTok have been urged to limit “infinite scrolling”, to the nearly 3,000 pages of the EU’s CBAM regulation.
That would represent real bureaucratic reduction. Or what do you think about that?
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