Brussels (TDI): The European Union has drawn up a list of US goods worth €72 billion that could face retaliatory tariffs if ongoing trade negotiations collapse, following Washington’s threat to impose steep new duties on EU exports beginning August 1.
The warning from Brussels comes just days after US President Donald Trump announced plans to slap a 30% tariff on European and Mexican imports. Speaking on Monday, EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic confirmed the potential countermeasures, which would hit a broad swath of American products, ranging from industrial goods to agricultural exports.
“Should the United States go ahead with its new tariffs, we are prepared to respond in kind,” Sefcovic told EU ministers in Brussels. The proposed retaliatory duties would target €65.7 billion in industrial goods and €6.4 billion in agricultural products, according to France24 and Politico Europe.
Read More: Trump’s 30% Tariffs Hit EU and Mexico, Escalating Trade War
Aircraft, automobiles, and car parts are among the high-profile items that could be affected in the second wave of retaliatory action.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, whose country currently holds the rotating EU presidency, called the American threat “absolutely unacceptable” and stressed that Europe will deliver a “robust and proportionate response” if necessary. His remarks were echoed by other EU leaders concerned about the fallout of an escalating trade war.
Still, Brussels is leaving the door open to a diplomatic resolution. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the EU will delay any immediate countermeasures until August 1 to allow for further dialogue with Washington.
The EU had previously prepared a separate list of US products, worth €21 billion, for potential retaliation tied to earlier disputes over steel and aluminum tariffs.
Read More: Trump Imposes 35% Tariff on Canada
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron urged the bloc to accelerate preparations for possible action. In a statement on social media, he emphasized that the EU must be ready to use “all instruments available,” including anti-coercion measures, if negotiations fail.
Trump’s latest tariff announcement, made via social media over the weekend, comes amid an increasingly aggressive US trade strategy. In addition to targeting the EU and Mexico, the administration plans to raise tariffs on Canadian goods to 35%, impose 25% duties on imports from Japan and South Korea, and set a 50% tariff on all Brazilian imports, moves scheduled to take effect August 1.
Farkhund Yousafzai is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
