Duties that will hurt US products worth 21 billion euros approved by the European Union (EU) in retaliation for the 25% duties imposed by President Donald Trump last month on Union steel and aluminum exports, according to Bloomberg.
The majority of 27 Member States The EU voted on Wednesday (09.04.2025) in favor of sanctions, some of which will begin to apply from April 15. Duties will target politically sensitive US states and include products such as soy from Louisiana, homeland of the Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson, as well as diamonds, agricultural products, poultry and motorcycles, boats, yachts, coffee, orange juice, copper, iron and steelaccording to Euronews product list.
The European Commission, the EU executive arm, said in a statement that countermeasures can be suspended at any time “if the US agrees on a fair and balanced negotiating outcome”.
This move is added to the growing transit trade war, with the US also implemented a universal 20% duty to almost all European exports, as well as a separate 25% duty on cars and certain car accessories. Trump said he would announce additional duties on timber, semiconductor chips and medicinal products. All Trump’s new duties are affecting EU products worth about 380 billion euros.
Some of the EU duties will come into force by mid -April, while another list will be imposed in mid -May and one Tuesday will begin on December 1, Bloomberg said earlier. Most of the targeted goods They face 25%duties, while some categories will impose 10%contributions.
Berbon was removed from the Union’s list under the pressure of the Member States, after Trump threatened 200% of wine, champagne and other alcoholic beverages from France and elsewhere.
Earlier, China responded to duties 104% of Donald Trump, announcing 84% duties in US products.
Trump has repeatedly attacked the EU, the largest US trade partner, saying that Created to ‘P ……’ the USA And that the European surplus in the trade of goods is proof of an unfair relationship. The weighted average EU trading tax rate was 2.7% in 2023, according to data from the World Trade Organization.
“They devise rules and regulations designed for only one reason: you can’t sell your product to these countries,” Trump said earlier this week. “And we’re not going to let that happen.”
EU trade leader Maros Sefsovic discussed the parameters of possible commitment to commercial issues with his US counterpart late Tuesday, according to a committee spokesman. Conversations have so far made little progress and US officials do not still seem to have a clear negotiating order from Trumpaccording to people who know the discussions.
The Commission processes a “sheet of terms” of possible sectors to negotiate, including lower duties, regulations and standards, Bloomberg said previously.
Wednesday’s vote underlined the Unity in EU capitals against Trump’s escalating trade dispute. US measures are threatening to eliminate much of the eurozone expansion provided by the European Central Bank for this year and year.