Norway protested on Friday against the new wave of US tariffs imposed by Washington on its main trading partners, arguing that the tariff treatment applied to it is higher than that applied to the European Union.

The new US tariffs, targeting 60 trading partners, came into effect on Friday, replacing the temporary global tariff that US President Donald Trump had announced earlier this year, according to AFP.

Norway faces tariffs of 12.5 percent on a number of its products exported to the United States, while a 10 percent tariff is imposed on EU exports to the US market.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said: 'We strongly oppose the United States' unilateral use of tariffs against Norway and other countries.'

He added: 'We also disagree with the justifications provided by the United States for imposing these new tariffs.'

Barth Eide stressed that Oslo has called on Washington to ensure that Norwegian products are treated on an equal footing with their European counterparts.

Although the United States accounts for less than 5 percent of Norway's goods exports according to official statistics, it represents an important market for many Norwegian products, especially seafood, including salmon.

The European Union had expressed relief at the new tariff system, after fears of possible retaliatory measures due to the large fine imposed by Brussels on US tech giant Google.

European Commission spokesperson Olof Gill said in Brussels: 'The European Union welcomes that this outcome is in line with the US tariff commitments agreed under the EU-US joint statement.'

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