Bourbon, cars, and planes: The EU slims down the list of tariffs Trump is threatening.

BrusselsThe European Union hopes to reach an agreement with Donald Trump and avoid a trade war with the United States. However, if negotiations between the two powers fail, Brussels is preparing to respond with countermeasures. The main retaliation the European bloc has in store is to return with tariffs on American products, and it is already planning to the second list of items that it wants to target.

According to a document accessed by ARA, the European Commission has slimmed down this second list, reducing its impact on sales totaling €95 billion to €72 billion, a measure designed to threaten the New York tycoon. However, it will retain some iconic US products to try to politically impact Trump, such as Bourbon whiskey, Boeing airplanes, and the US automotive industry in general. In addition, Brussels proposes increasing import duties on all types of automobile and aircraft parts, as well as industrial machinery and parts, such as cranes and tractors.

This second list of tariffs would be added to the one the EU has already agreed upon and approved, but frozen at least until August 1, pending Trump's agreement to reach an agreement with Brussels. In this case, the scope of customs duties on US imports amounts to a total of €21 billion.

The list includes around 1,700 items with import duties ranging from 10% to 25%. They range from basic foodstuffs like eggs and tomatoes to precious stones like diamonds, as well as textiles like tracksuits and ski wear. According to the European Commission, the measure is designed and engineered to have the maximum political and economic impact in the United States, while minimizing the impact on Europeans' pockets.

In any case, it should be noted that the second tariff list can still be amended, and member states can request modifications. In fact, some countries requested the exclusion of products that had initially been included in the first list. The most notable case was bourbon whiskey, under pressure from France. The reason was that Paris feared Trump would turn against alcoholic beverages that French companies export to the United States, such as wine and champagne.