European Union hits back with new duties on US products as Trump’s steel tariffs kick in

The EU measures will cover goods from the US worth 26 billion euros ($28 billion), and not just steel and aluminum, but also textiles, home appliances and agricultural goods

BRUSSELS: The European Union on Wednesday announced retaliatory trade action with new duties on US industrial and farm products, responding within hours to the Trump administration’s increase in tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports to 25%.

The world’s biggest trading bloc was expecting the US tariffs and prepared in advance, but the measures still place great strain on already tense transatlantic relations.

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Only last month, Washington warned Europe that it would have to take care of its own security in the future.

The EU measures will cover goods from the United States worth some 26 billion euros ($28 billion), and not just steel and aluminum products, but also textiles, home appliances and agricultural goods. Motorcycles, bourbon, peanut butter and jeans will be hit, as they were during President Donald Trump’s first term.

The EU duties aim for pressure points in the US while minimising additional damage to Europe. The tariffs — taxes on imports — primarily target Republican-held states, hitting soybeans in House speaker Mike Johnson’s Louisiana, but also beef and poultry in Kansas and Nebraska. Produce in Alabama, Georgia and Virginia is also on the list.

The EU moves to protect itself
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement that the bloc “will always remain open to negotiation.”“As the US are applying tariffs worth 28 billion dollars, we are responding with countermeasures worth 26 billion euros,” she said.

The commission manages trade and commercial conflicts on behalf of the 27 member EU countries. “We firmly believe that in a world fraught with geopolitical and economic uncertainties, it is not in our common interest to burden our economies with tariffs,” von der Leyen said.

The commission also said that steel and aluminum products would be hit in return, but also textiles, leather goods, home appliances, household tools, plastics and wood. Agricultural products will also be impacted — including poultry, beef, some seafood, nuts, eggs, sugar and vegetables.

Trump said his taxes would help create US factory jobs, but von der Leyen said: “Jobs are at stake. Prices will go up. In Europe and in the United States.” “We deeply regret this measure. Tariffs are taxes. They are bad for business, and even worse for consumers. These tariffs are disrupting supply chains. They bring uncertainty for the economy,” she said.