The European Commission is considering slapping tariffs of up to 25 percent on a broad range of exports from the United States in response to tariffs imposed on steel and aluminum by U.S. President Donald Trump, according to an internal Commission document seen by POLITICO.
The EU executive wants to impose a 25 percent duty on a wide range of U.S. exports, including soybeans, sweet corn, rice, almonds, orange juice, cranberries, tobacco, iron, steel, aluminum, certain boats and vehicles, textiles and certain clothes, and various types of makeup.
The total amount of U.S. exports hit by the tariffs is €22.1 billion based on the EU’s 2024 imports, according to public Eurostat figures, falling short of the Commission’s estimates of hitting €26 billion to “mirror” the damage from Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs.
The list of countermeasures was up for negotiation among the bloc’s member countries, with France, Italy and Ireland leading the charge to ensure Brussels excludes bourbon whiskey in a bid to shield the spirits sector from tariff reprisals by Trump.
In a political victory for those countries, bourbon whiskey no longer appears on the lists.
EU capitals will vote on the countermeasures on Wednesday. If they go through, most of the tariffs are expected to take effect May 16, while for some goods (including almonds) the new duties will kick in at the start of December, the document reads.
The Commission document was first reported by Reuters and MLex.
The post Brussels eyes 25 percent tariffs in response to Trump appeared first on Politico.
