EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom addresses a press conference on the U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum affecting the EU at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, June 1, 2018.[Photo: Xinhua/Ye Pingfan]

The European Union (EU) on Friday requested consultations with the United States on its steel and aluminum tariffs, under the dispute settlement framework of the World Trade Organization (WTO), a WTO official said.

The WTO Secretariat received a request from the EU for consultations with the United States "concerning the Section 232 tariffs imposed by the United States on steel and aluminum imports", said the official who requested anonymity.

The request for consultations formally initiates a dispute in the WTO. After 60 days, if consultations have failed to resolve the dispute, the EU may request adjudication by a panel.

Despite worldwide objection, the U.S. administration decided in March to impose a 25-percent tariff on steel imports and a 10-percent tariff on aluminum imports.

The EU's move came against the announcement on Thursday by U.S. President Donald Trump not to extend the temporary steel and aluminum tariff exemptions against the EU, Canada, and Mexico.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said this was because negotiations over the past two months have failed to result in a deal.

Regarding the dispute with the United States, the EU says in a document submitted to the WTO that U.S. tariff measures "adversely affect exports of these goods from the European Union to the United States."

The EU said the imposition of the tariffs is "inconsistent with the United States' obligations and rights set out in the WTO Agreement."