The European Union has announced vengeful trade action on Wednesday with a series of tasks on American industrial and agricultural products that will come into effect from 1 April.
It comes weeks after the Trump administration has announced an increase in the rates for all steel and aluminum imports of the European block to 25%.
The largest trade block in the world expected American rates and in advance, but the measures still put great pressure on the already tense transatlantic relationships.
Only last month did Washington Europe warned that it should ensure its own safety in the future.
The EU measures cover goods from the United States worth around 26 billion euros ($ 28 billion), and not only steel and aluminum products, but also textiles, household appliances and agricultural products.
Motorcycles, bourbon, peanut butter and jeans are affected, as they were during the first term of President Donald Trump.
Great -Britain – which is not part of the EU – meanwhile said that it would not impose its own retaliation measures on the United States.
The British government called Washington's decision to impose 25% rates on global steel and aluminum import 'disappointing'.
President Donald Trump speaks at the quarterly meeting of Business Roundtable in Washington, Tuesday 11 March 2025
President Ursula von der Leyen (L) of the European Commission and the EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, Interinstitutional Relations and Transparency Maros Sefcovic
President Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission said in a statement in which the measures announced on Wednesday that the block will always remain open to negotiations. '
“Because the US applies rates worth 28 billion dollars, we respond with countermeasures worth 26 billion euros,” she said. The committee manages trade and commercial conflicts on behalf of the 27 members -countries.
“We are convinced that in a world full of geopolitical and economic uncertainties, it is not in our common interest to tax our economies with rates,” said Von der Leyen.
The committee also said that steel and aluminum products would be affected in exchange, as well as textiles, leather goods, household appliances, household tools, plastics and wood. Agricultural products will also be influenced – including poultry, beef, some seafood, nuts, eggs, sugar and vegetables.
Trump said his taxes would help create jobs in the American factory, but Von der Leyen said: “Jobs are at stake. Prices will rise. In Europe and in the United States. '
'We deeply regret this measure. Rates are taxes. They are bad for business, and even worse for consumers. These rates disrupt supply chains. They bring uncertainty for the economy, “she said.
Trump took similar rates on EU steel and aluminum during his first term of office, which made European and other allies furious. At the time, the EU also imposed countermeasures in retribution, which increases rates on motorcycles made by the US, bourbon, peanut butter and jeans, including items.
This time the EU action includes two steps. Firstly, the Commission will re -introduce what it calls 're -balancing measures', which the EU had from 2018 and 2020, but they were suspended under the BIDEN administration, then extra tasks aimed at 18 billion euros ($ 19.6 billion) in the US export to the block.
EU trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic traveled to Washington last month in an attempt to show rates and to meet American trade secretary Howard Lutnick and other top trading officers.
He said on Wednesday that it became clear during that trip “that the EU is not the problem.”
'I have argued to avoid the unnecessary burden of measures and countermeasures, but you need a partner for that. You need both hands to fold, “Sefcovic told reporters in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France.
A person shops through steel pieces in a metal supply company in Burbank, California, USA, 11 March 2025
President Donald Trump of the United States speaks for a Tesla model S with Elon Musk, Tesla CEO and senior adviser to the President of the United States
According to Henrik Adam, President of the Eurofer European Steel Association, the EU could lose to 3.7 million tonnes of steel exports.
“It will further aggravate the situation of the European steel industry and aggravate an already nasty market environment,” Adam said last month.
The US is the second largest export market for EU steel producers, which represent 16% of the total export of the EU steel.
“Losing a significant part of these exports cannot be compensated by EU export to other markets,” said Adam.
The EU estimates that the annual trade volume between the two parties is around $ 1.5 trillion, which represents around 30% of global trade. Although the block has a significant export surplus in goods, it says that this is partially compensated by the American surplus on the market in services.
The committee says that the trade in goods reached 851 billion euros ($ 878 billion) in 2023, with a trade surplus of 156 billion euros ($ 161 billion) for the EU.
The trade in services was worth 688 billion euros ($ 710 billion) with a trade deficit of 104 billion euros ($ 107 billion) for the EU.
In the meantime, British business secretary Jonathan Reynolds said on Wednesday that he would “continue to be close and productive in the US to press the business for business interests in British.”
He does not exclude future rates for the entry of the US and said, “We will keep all options on the table and will not hesitate to respond to the national interest.”
Center-Links Prime Minister Keir Starmer has worked to build strong ties with Trump, hoping to avoid the rates that are levied on many other American trading partners.
Reynolds said that the government “is aimed at a pragmatic approach and is rapidly negotiating a broader economic agreement with the US to eliminate extra rates and to benefit British companies and our economy.”
