European Union countries agree to impose tariffs on the US

European Union countries have backed a proposal by the European Commission to impose tariffs on the United States in response to US tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from the EU, which President Donald Trump imposed on April 2. The EU tariffs on the United States will take effect on April 15.

This is stated on the website of the European Commission.

Politico writes that 26 countries voted in favour, while only Hungary voted against.

The European Union considers the US tariffs unjustified and harmful to both sidesʼ economies and the world. The European Union may suspend its tariffs on the US if the US agrees to a fair and balanced negotiated solution. However, the EU has previously said it will start imposing tariffs on some US imports next week.

The European Commission has not provided details on which products and in what quantities the tariffs will be imposed. According to Politico, the tariffs could apply to products such as soybeans, motorcycles and orange juice.

Reuters previously reported that the EUʼs initial package of countermeasures on US imports, worth up to $28 billion, would include goods ranging from dental floss to diamonds. This is in response to tariffs that Trump has imposed on European steel and aluminium, meaning the EU is not currently imposing mirror tariffs.

But even that move has proven difficult: Trump has threatened a 200% tariff on EU spirits if the bloc implements a planned 50% tariff on American bourbon. France and Italy, major exporters of wine and spirits, have expressed concern.

At the same time, in the trade war on tariffs on goods, Brussels has fewer targets than Washington, as imports of goods from the US to the EU in 2024 amounted to €334 billion, while EU exports to the US amounted to €532 billion.

On the eve of the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed to eliminate tariffs on cars and industrial goods between the US and the EU. In response, Trump said that the European Union would only be able to get a reprieve from US tariffs if it agreed to buy $350 billion worth of energy from the US.
The US president said he did not consider the current EU offer sufficient to change his decision on tariffs. He stressed that he was ready for a fair deal, but only if it was beneficial to the US and not to others.

• On April 2, the US President Donald Trump reported that he would impose tariffs on goods from other countries. The new tariffs will apply to more than 180 countries and territories (not including Russia, North Korea, Cuba and Belarus, which are already under sanctions). A 10% tariff was imposed on Ukraine.
• Later, on April 8, the US took effect of additional 50% tariffs that President Donald Trump had threatened to impose on Chinese goods. This means that China is now subject to a 104% tariff.

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