LONDON — The European Union responded on Wednesday to the Trump administration’s steel tariffs, saying member states would place countermeasures on some €26 billion, or about $28 billion, value of U.S. items.
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Fee, mentioned in a statement that the EU “should act to guard shoppers and enterprise.”
“Tariffs are taxes. They’re unhealthy for enterprise, and even worse for shoppers,” von der Leyen mentioned. “These tariffs are disrupting provide chains. They convey uncertainty for the economic system. Jobs are at stake. Costs will go up. In Europe and within the United States.”
A employee strikes metal product at North York Iron, a metal provider in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, February 11, 2025.
Cole Burston/AFP by way of Getty Photographs
The U.S. on Wednesday started imposing 25% tariffs on all metal and aluminum imports from all buying and selling companions, with no exceptions or exemptions, the White Home mentioned.
The European measures have been designed to match the scope of these U.S. tariffs, which the European Union mentioned can be value about $28 billion. The countermeasures have been anticipated to start on April 1 and be totally in place by April 13, the fee mentioned.
“Within the meantime, we’ll at all times stay open to negotiation,” von der Leyen mentioned.
European Fee president Ursula von der Leyen addresses European Parliament members on new plans to ramp up protection spending agreed eventually week’s summit, Tuesday, March 11, 2025 on the European Parliament in Strasbourg, jap France.
Pascal Bastien/AP
The countermeasures comprise two steps, the primary of which is to revive on April 1 a set of beforehand suspended 2018 and 2020 countermeasures towards the U.S. on a spread of merchandise.
For step two, member states will then put in place by mid-April new countermeasures concentrating on about €18 billion value of U.S. items getting into the bloc.
These new countermeasures will goal each industrial and agricultural merchandise, together with metal and aluminum, house home equipment, wooden merchandise, poultry, beef and different meals imports, based on a fact sheet launched on Wednesday.
Maros Sefcovic, the EU’s commerce commissioner, mentioned European officers would proceed working with their U.S. counterparts towards a “win-win” final result, however the “unjustified tariffs on our exports won’t go unanswered.”
“We must be making this nice relationship stronger, not weaker,” he mentioned in an announcement.
