The trade war between the United States and much of the rest of the world is no longer a latent threat: it is happening, and Europe is part of the game. In recent times, Donald Trump’s administration has launched three direct offensives against the European Union. First, it imposed tariffs of 25% on steel and aluminum; then it did the same with cars, and now it has added the so-called “reciprocal tariffs” of 20%. Brussels has decided to fight back.
The first firm step. The response has already begun to take shape. The member states of the EU have just approved the first package of trade countermeasures against the United States. The proposal was discussed on Wednesday and received majority support. The European Commission has left no room for doubt: it considers Washington’s tariffs to be “unjustified and harmful” and “cause economic damage to both parties, as well as to the global economy”.
The details are yet to be known. The Commission has officially confirmed the approval of these measures, but has not detailed either the specific percentages or the products that will be affected. That information will be released in the coming days through a formal announcement. However, media outlets such as The New York Times, which had access to the documentation related to the vote, claim that the tariffs will be 10% and 25% on a wide range of categories.
Appliances, boats and even dental floss. These percentages coincide with the information published this week, which revealed that the European package would cover consumer and leisure goods such as household appliances, motorcycles, pleasure boats and playing cards, as well as food products such as sausages, poultry and other agricultural products. Personal care items such as dental floss would also be included.
Date indicated on the calendar. Although formal steps are still pending, such as the publication of the implementing act, the European Commission has already brought forward the key date: “duties will start to be collected from April 15th”, according to the institution itself. In other words, the countermeasures will become effective within a few days.
Dialogue is still on the table. The move does not imply a total closure to dialogue. Brussels has stressed that the Member States intend to negotiate with the US administration, although any agreement must be based on “balanced and mutually beneficial” conditions. Along these lines, the Commission has confirmed that the countermeasures “can be suspended at any time”.
Who will really pay these tariffs? The answer is that it will probably impact consumers. “Tariffs work like taxes on imports,” recalls the Tax Foundation. “In practice, that additional cost is rarely borne by companies: it ends up being passed on directly to consumers.” If nothing changes, we will see more expensive US products on the European market.
