The EU approves the list of US products to which it will apply tariffs

BrusselsThe day, the modes and the scope is perfectly calculatedThe European Union wants to make it clear that it intends to respond to Donald Trump's tariff offensive and is prepared to counterattack, but under no circumstances does it want to overstep its boundaries and be interpreted as Brussels contributing to the escalation of the trade war. For this reason, the European partners approved, on the same day the US tariffs were scheduled to come into effect, and almost unanimously (only Hungary voted against), a specific list of some 1,600 US products to which customs duties will be applied. Furthermore, Brussels insists that it is keeping its hand out in the White House and emphasizes in a statement that the tariffs "can be withdrawn at any time" if it sits down to negotiate an agreed solution between the two major Western powers.

Despite Trump postponing the entry into force of the general 20% tariffs for 90 days, the European Commission has not backed down, and community sources assure that they do not know if they will really be spared or if these customs duties will be imposed on them starting this Wednesday. In any case, the first phase of Brussels' countermeasure is not scheduled to be implemented until April 15, precisely to give the White House time to reconsider and avoid a tariff escalation. In this regard, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has urged the EU to "maintain close transatlantic relations" and "make the most of the additional 90 days" that the New York magnate has given them.

Be that as it may, Brussels has not yet rectified its position, and the list approved by member states this Wednesday includes all kinds of goods that will have import duties between 10% and 25%. These range from everyday staples like eggs and tomatoes to precious stones like diamonds, as well as textiles like tracksuits and ski wear. According to EU sources, the measure is designed and intended to have the maximum political and economic impact in the United States while minimizing the impact on Europeans' pockets.

Examples of products that will have 25% tariffs

• Eggs
• Tomatoes
• Raspberry
• Palm oil
• Plastic plugs
• Sausages
• Mattresses
• Free-range chickens
• Dental floss
• Diamonds

Examples of products that will have 10% tariffs

• Mirrors
• Lentils
• Hair dryers
• Underwear
• Tracksuits
• Ties
• Ski clothing

Ursula von der Leyen's European Commission has also prioritized the political message of unity and firmness over Trump's offensive, yielding to the removal of a product as iconic to Americans as bourbon whiskey from the list. This was a request made by France and Italy out of fear that Washington would increase its attacks on wine, cava, and the European spirits market as a whole. Thus, despite the loss of a piece of paper, Brussels has saved the day and managed to get 26 of the 27 European countries to vote in favor of the list it proposed, when it only needed a qualified majority to process the initiative. That is, the support of 55% of the Member States representing at least 65% of the bloc's population.

According to diplomatic sources, the only member state to vote against the vote was the usual black sheep of the European Union, Hungary, led by the pro-Russian far-right Viktor Orbán, who is also close to the New York tycoon. "Escalation is not the answer. These measures will only lead to higher prices and further harm the European economy and its citizens," said Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó.

Room to Negotiate

The EU tariffs on US products will not take effect immediately. But Brussels maintains that this is not a miscalculation or a failure of European institutions to react quickly. The idea is to make it clear to Trump how far the European bloc is willing to go and give his administration time to reconsider. In fact, Elon Musk, an advisor to the US president, has already asked him to withdraw the tariffs, fearing that they could negatively affect the US economy and, of course, its multinationals, such as Tesla and X.

Thus, US authorities still have a few days to sit down at the negotiating table. Most of the tariffs on the products on the list will begin to be applied as of April 15 or May 16, and in the exceptional case of some hazelnut and soy products, on December 1. However, should Trump continue the tariff war, the EU is already preparing more countermeasures and reminds us that the regulation approved this Wednesday is only a response to US import tariffs on European steel and aluminum products.

In this sense, in addition to expanding the tariffs and the list of affected products, the European Commission and the Member States have also opened the door to taking actions that go beyond increasing customs duties. For example, Brussels does not rule out restricting the access of American companies in public tenders of European administrations or attacking large American technology companies that have a dominant position in the community digital market, such as Google, Meta, Apple or X.