In a classic example of the harmful effects of tariffs and other barriers to trade, American denim manufacturers were hit hard last week by new taxes imposed by the EU.  As reported on Fox Business:

U.S. denim manufacturers last week woke up to a sharp slap in the face from a European Union tax hike, which makes it much more expensive for European stores to stock made-in-America jeans.

With only a few days’ warning, the E.U. announced it was raising the import tax on women’s denim made in the U.S. from 12% to 38% — which would more than double the fee for any European distributors still willing to stock the American-made product. …

The steep tariff hike stems from a longstanding battle over U.S. trade practices, according to American Apparel and Footwear Association executive vice-president Steve Lamar.

Specifically, he says, it’s a retaliation against the 2000 Byrd Amendment, which gave the U.S. the rights to distribute money from duties on unfairly traded imports to the American industries affected by these trade practices. The World Trade Organization found this payout illegal in 2002, and the Byrd Amendment was officially repealed in 2005, says Lamar.
This has American manufacturers in a difficult position.  Do they move their operations out of the US to avoid the tariff?  Or do they raise their prices, which would cause them to sell less, and eventually force them to reduce jobs in the US?  They might be able to reduce their profits slightly, but not nearly enough to cover the increased tax.  One way or the other, jobs and the local economy here in the US are going to suffer.
I don’t know the details of the Byrd amendment, and I don’t know if it’s the only reason for this EU tariff.  But it does seem that there’s a tit-for-tat dynamic here.  And that hurts everyone – US and EU manufacturers as well as US and EU consumers.  Better to drop those barriers and keep trade open so that American companies can sell their products freely to European consumers willing to pay for them.  Protectionism, rather than really protecting anyone, just ends up hurting us all.