EU prepares countermeasures against Trump - Tariffs on American agricultural, industrial and cigarette goods
The EU's reaction to US President Donald Trump's decision to impose so-called reciprocal tariffs on all of America's trading partners may be less aggressive than expected, but it shows creativity in trying to hit the US where it can be hurt the most.
According to an internal document, the Commission is considering imposing tariffs of up to 25 percent on a wide range of US exports worth around 22.1 billion euros, based on EU imports for 2024.
The list contains common agricultural and industrial goods such as soybeans, meat, tobacco, iron, steel and aluminum, to hit US sectors that rely most on transatlantic exports.
If you look closely, it turns out that EU trade enthusiasts have unleashed an unusual creativity in their professional knowledge of obscure customs codes to inflict pain on Trump's base. EU countries will vote on the new duties on Wednesday, without expecting major opposition.
Once they approve the list, the first set of tariffs on goods such as blueberries and orange juice, which the EU initially imposed in 2018 during Trump's first presidency but suspended in 2021, will take effect on April 15.
A 25 percent duty will take effect on May 16 on a second group of imported items such as steel, meat, white chocolate and polyethylene. Finally, a 25 percent tax on almonds and soybeans will take effect on December 1.
Overall, the EU's obligations will amount to up to $13.5 billion worth of exports from the red states, which are the main supporters of the American leader.
The US is the world's second-largest producer and exporter of soybeans, and the EU's tariffs would hit a sector already reeling from China's retaliatory measures, increased global competition and falling prices. The EU is also targeting beef from Kansas and Nebraska, poultry from Louisiana, auto parts from Michigan, cigarettes from Florida and wood products from North Carolina, Georgia and Alabama.
While the Commission ended up removing whiskey from the final draft, after successful lobbying by France, Italy, and Ireland, it included other more specialized items, designed to cause the greatest harm to exporters in Republican states.
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