According to Donald Trump’s letter: EU presents a new list for counter -tariffs

According to the new customs announcements by US President Donald Trump, the EU is preparing additional counter-duties for imports from the USA worth 72 billion euros. This was announced by the responsible EU Commissioner Maros Sefcovic after a Ministry of Commerce in Brussels.

Preparations for the countermeasures are about a list of industrial and agricultural products from the United States, which should be affected by new EU tariffs if the European efforts fail for an amicable agreement. After a public consultation, she was recently adjusted a bit. Originally, it included imports from the USA into the EU worth 95 billion euros.

At first, Sefcovic did not say which products were canceled from the list. It also contained symbolically relevant products such as American planes, cars and bourbon whiskey.

The EU Commissioner had previously commented on the announcement of Trump, who wanted to raise new import duties in the amount of 30 percent on imports from the EU. “We negotiated a fundamental agreement for weeks and I think we were almost at the goal,” he said. Trump’s announcement now brings “a completely different dynamic”.

At the same time, Sefcovic warned that the implementation of the Trump plans would have drastic effects on transatlantic trade. “Let’s be honest: a duty of 30 percent would be a factual ban on trading,” he said. If tariffs in the amount of 30 percent or even more come into force, considerable negative effects can be expected on both sides of the Atlantic.

The EU trade commissioner emphasized that he would continue the dialogue with the United States in order to get a negotiation solution by August 1. This is the date for which Trump has announced the entry into force of a 30 percent customs to imports from the EU.

If there is no agreement, the EU wants to react with determined countermeasures. In the event that the United States does not resolve the new tariffs introduced months ago on steel and aluminum imports, the United States has already decided.

According to previous EU information, they concern exports from the United States worth a total of 21 billion euros and could be added to the tariffs to exports worth 72 billion euros.

In addition, the EU Commission recently also prepared restrictions on steel scrap and chemical products in the USA worth 4.4 billion euros.

On the further negotiations, Sefcovic said that despite Trump’s letter, he felt that his American interlocutors were also ready for further negotiations. He was 100 % convinced that a negotiating solution is much better than the tensions that could arise in the event of a further escalation after August 1, Sefcovic said: “Otherwise this thing will not go out well.”

The strongly export -oriented German economy is considered to be particularly vulnerable in a trade war. After an analysis by the Bundesbank, almost every fourth job in this country depends on export, which shrank in 2024 and is now under additional pressure because of the customs dispute with the USA.

There were no public statements by the Federal Government on Monday at the Ministers of Commerce Ministers. The responsible Minister of Economic Affairs Katherina Reiche (CDU) was represented by State Secretary Thomas Steffen.