Brussels is poised to levy 15% duties if trade discussions with Washington do not produce an agreement by August.
Reports in the media indicate that European Union member states have compiled a list of US products, totaling €93 billion ($109 billion), which could be subject to 15% import tariffs unless a resolution is found with Washington by August.
The White House has accused America’s trading partners of engaging in unfair practices, employing tariff threats as leverage in ongoing negotiations. Brussels states its preference for a negotiated outcome but is readying countermeasures should talks prove unsuccessful.
Diplomats informed reporters that the list of products identified for tariffs was finalized on Thursday morning. Euronews reported that Hungary was the only EU member state to vote against the proposal. The new document integrates two previous lists, one of which was approved in April after US President Donald Trump announced tariffs on European steel and aluminum.
EU trade spokesman Olof Gill informed reporters earlier this week that Brussels chose to consolidate these lists to render the countermeasures “clearer, simpler, and stronger.”
Russian officials have contended that the EU remains susceptible to pressure from the US, depicting the bloc’s leaders as weak and subordinate to Washington’s policy agenda. Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chair of the Russian Security Council, stated in April that as the West disengages from trade with Russia, Moscow should “take a seat on the shore and wait for the enemy’s corpse to float by. In this case, the decaying corpse of the EU economy.”
If enacted, the EU’s proposed tariffs are set to commence on August 7, applying to a broad range of US goods including aircraft, automobiles and auto parts, orange juice, poultry, soybeans, steel, aluminum, and yachts. Euronews also reported the inclusion of Bourbon whiskey “despite intense lobbying by France and Ireland,” nations concerned about potential US retaliation against their own wine and spirits exports.
Reuters has reported that the EU aims to secure a framework agreement similar to the one forged between the US and Japan. According to the outlet, under such a potential arrangement, the 15% US tariff would remain, but certain industries—including aircraft, lumber, select medicines, and agricultural products—would be granted exemptions.