EU is right for the first tariffs on US products

The EU countries have cleared their way for the first counter-duties between ten and 25 percent in response to the tariffs ordered by US President Donald Trump. According to the European Commission, special levies for jeans and motorcycles from the USA will come into force next week.

Further counter -tariffs will then be collected in mid -May and the end of the year – this also applies to food such as beef, poultry or citrus fruits such as oranges or grapefruit. Additional tariffs for nuts and soybeans are to come in early December.

No whiskey affected by counter -tariffs

Contrary to original planning, there are initially No additional tariffs on American whiskey And other alcoholic beverages. The main reason is the lobbying of countries such as France and Italy. Trump had been known to the EU planning after becoming known With counter -tariffs of 200 percent Throughout wine, champagne and other alcoholic beverages from EU countries, the EU should implement the project.

The planned EU special tariffs are the reaction to the new US tariffs imposed about a month ago to steel and aluminum imports. According to EU information, the US measures make exports worth 26 billion euros and could theoretically give the United States additional customs revenues of around 6.5 billion euros. According to EU circles, the one now decided by the EU was worth around 21 billion euros.

EU also relies on negotiations

At the beginning of the week, EU trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic said that Plan A was to focus on negotiations – a determined reaction was plan B. « Our goal is not so escalating, but negotiating, » emphasized Sefcovic on Monday.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also emphasized on Monday that the European Union was ready to negotiate despite the pay decisions of US President Donald Trump. The offer to the USA: an agreement to mutual cancellation of all tariffs to industrial goods. In the event of a failure of negotiations, possible countermeasures would be prepared.

EU is preparing for Trump’s commercial struggle

Another large package of measures for the customs of Trump recently announced by Trump on cars and almost all other EU exports to the USA is still being worked on.

Trump wants to correct alleged trade weights with tariffs and move production to the USA. At the same time, customs income should serve to at least partially counter -financed tax cuts promised in the election campaign.

According to the EU calculations, the total additional income from the United States would amount to EU goods on EU goods to EU goods to 81 billion euros in the event of a constant trading volume.

It is not the first time for the EU that she responds to US tariffs. This had already been the case in the first term in Trump when this special tariff had introduced steel and aluminum. However, the measures were then suspended after an agreement with the US President Joe Biden, who ruled from 2021 to 2025.