EU Ready to Retaliate with Tariffs on €100 Billion Worth of U.S. Goods if Trade Talks Fail
1min read The European Union plans to impose additional tariffs on approximately 100 billion euros ($113.26 billion) worth of U.S. goods if trade talks fail to yield a satisfactory outcome for the bloc, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday.
The proposed retaliatory measures will be shared with EU member states as early as Wednesday, with consultations expected to last for a month before the final list is approved. The report cited people familiar with the matter.
On Tuesday, European Commissioner for Trade Maros Sefcovic warned that during the 90-day suspension period announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, the EU will prepare countermeasures against the significant tariffs imposed by the U.S. on European products and consider all available options. Sefcovic emphasized that the EU does not perceive itself as weak and will not bow to pressure from unfair U.S. trade deals.
The trade negotiations, formally launched between the U.S. and EU last month, have made little progress, with most U.S. tariffs on European goods expected to remain in place. Amid escalating tensions, the EU revealed on Tuesday that Trump's ongoing trade investigations could increase the value of EU goods subject to U.S. tariffs to 549 billion euros.
Sefcovic highlighted the potential impact of U.S. tariff threats, that the U.S. has indicated it may impose tariffs on imports of lumber, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, critical minerals, and trucks. This would affect an additional 170 billion euros worth of EU goods, covering approximately 97% of the EU's total exports to the U.S.
The EU had planned to present a document to the U.S. this week outlining a series of proposals to reinvigorate trade talks with the Biden administration. These proposals are expected to include measures such as reducing trade and non-tariff barriers, increasing European investments in the U.S., collaborating on addressing strategic challenges like unfair competition, and boosting purchases of American goods.
However, Sefcovic warned that if negotiations fail, the EU is prepared to take retaliatory measures to rebalance trade relations. According to earlier media reports, the EU has been drafting a new list of U.S. goods that could face additional tariffs, while also debating whether to introduce export restrictions.
The first step would be to reinstate tariffs on $21 billion worth of U.S. goods that were previously approved as a response to Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs. Earlier this month, the EU agreed to delay enforcing these measures for 90 days. During the negotiation period, the U.S. has reduced the so-called reciprocal tariff rate on most EU exports from 20% to 10%.
If talks fail, the EU's new list of retaliatory measures will expand further, with plans to impose tariffs on an additional 100 billion euros worth of U.S. goods.
