Air Freight News

What’s in the EU’s countermeasures to US tariffs?

The European Union could hit the United States with counter-tariffs on 93 billion euros ($109 billion) worth of U.S. goods if the two sides fail to reach a trade deal by Washington's August 1 deadline for imposing import levies.

The European Commission has prepared two sets of possible counter-tariffs, which would be combined into one and submitted for approval to EU members. They would not be imposed until August 7.

Containers are stacked behind a no entry sign, after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened on Saturday to impose a 30% tariff on imports from Mexico and the European Union starting on August 1, in the harbour of Duisburg, Germany, July 14, 2025. REUTERS/Thilo Schmuelgen

For the full list of tariffs and items, please see here.

BAN ON SCRAP METAL SALES

* The EU would also ban direct and indirect sales of scrap aluminium and scrap ferrous waste, which includes steel and iron.

* The ban would take effect from September 7.

EU COUNTERMEASURES TO STEEL, ALUMINIUM TARIFFS

* EU members agreed a first package in April, but the measures were immediately suspended.

* The package hits imports of U.S. goods worth 21 billion euros and is designed as a response to U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminium.

* The package sets a 25% tariff on most of the imports, but some goods like diamonds would be hit by a lower duty of 10%.

* The products include a range of agricultural goods: poultry, beef, fruit, cereals such as wheat, barley and oats, vegetable oils, corn (maize), rice and orange juice.

* Other goods include home appliances such as dishwashers and vacuum cleaners, sanitary products like toilet paper and dental floss, and larger items like motorcycles and motor boats.

* Soybeans and almonds are on this list at 25%, but would not be impacted until December 1.

EU COUNTERMEASURES TO BASELINE, CAR TARIFFS

* The second package is designed to respond to so-called "reciprocal" baseline tariffs, which U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to raise from 10% to 30%, as well as to tariffs on cars and car parts, currently set at 25%.

* The proposal was reduced to additional import duties on 72 billion euros of U.S. goods from an initial 95 billion euros.

* The tariff levels will mirror U.S. levels but the majority are set at 30%, including for aircraft.

* The tariffs would come into effect in two phases on September 7 and February 7.

* The package targets 6.4 billion euros of agri-food products and 65.8 billion euros of industrial goods.

* Industrial items in the package include aircraft and aircraft parts, cars and car parts, machinery, chemicals and plastics, medical devices and electrical equipment.

* Food items in the package include bourbon, other spirits, wine, farm animals, bees, tobacco and pet food.

* 159 items were deleted from the initial list after a public consultation, according to a Reuters comparison of the two lists.

* Industrial products removed include all gas turbines, most magnets, all laboratory reagents, some photographic film, musical instrument strings, and some equipment related to semiconductors and data storage.

* Removed food products include soya bean seeds, pure-bred breeding horses and bovine semen.

($1 = 0.8530 euros)


Reuters
Reuters

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