Updated 9 Apr 2025
The EU on Wednesday launched its first measures hitting back at President Donald Trump’s tariffs, targeting over 20 billion euros of US products including soybeans, beauty products, motorcycles etc, just hours before the US administration announced a suspension of tariffs for all countries that had not produced retaliatory tariffs. The EU is still likely to face US tariffs not being suspended even though the EU stated that these “countermeasures can be suspended at any time, should the US agree to a fair and balanced negotiated outcome” and the EU levies are retaliation for previous US duties on steel and aluminium. Europe also stated that additional European tariffs have yet to be announced.
“The EU considers U.S. tariffs unjustified and damaging, causing economic harm to both sides, as well as the global economy. The EU has stated its clear preference to find negotiated outcomes with the U.S., which would be balanced and mutually beneficial…..This will be applied apply in three rounds. Measures covering €3.9 billion in trade will go into force next week, with a further €13.5 billion from mid-May and a final round of €3.5 billion following in December.”
EU Statement
The EU is issuing retaliatory tariffs of nearly €21 billion of U.S. after the bloc’s 27 countries assented to the measures on Wednesday, the European Commission announced. (Hungary voting against the measures).