The European Union (EU) on Wednesday announced retaliatory trade measures against the U.S. with a slew of new tariffs on American industrial and farm products.
The European Commission is levying sweeping tariffs on up to $28 billion worth of U.S. goods, according to a press release. The EU’s decision comes after President Donald Trump’s 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports from all U.S. trading partners went into effect at midnight Wednesday.
Notably, the Commission’s new tariffs particularly target products that predominantly come from Republican-led states. The retaliatory tariffs are set to begin taking effect on April 1, according to the press release.
Since returning to the Oval Office, Trump has been leading an effort to reshape the global trade industry and reduce America’s dependence on foreign countries as part of his broader “America First” agenda. A host of foreign investors, major businesses and foreign countries have pledged in recent weeks to invest hefty sums of money into the U.S. over the next few years.
The U.S. has been engaged in an ongoing trade dispute with several foreign countries, including China, Canada and Mexico. Trump on Tuesday announced that he was doubling his previously announced 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada.
Relatedly, the U.S. is one of the EU’s largest trading partners. The amount of U.S. goods exported to the EU in 2024 totaled $370.2 billion, up 0.7% from 2023, while U.S goods imported from the EU in 2024 totaled $605.8 billion, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
“The EU deeply regrets the U.S. decision to reintroduce tariffs on imports of European steel and aluminium and products containing it,” Olof Gill, a European Commission spokesperson, said in a statement shared with the Daily Caller News Foundation. “We call on the U.S. to immediately revoke these tariffs and avoid the unnecessary trade escalation. The U.S. tariffs will weaken transatlantic trade and supply chains, raise costs for US businesses and citizens, and fuel inflation in the U.S. They will affect EUR 26 billion of EU exports. This is approximately 5% of total EU exports to the U.S. It could result in U.S. importers having to pay up to EUR 6 billion in additional import tariffs. We see no justification for these tariffs on EU exports. The EU is not part of the problem – it is part of the solution – and its exports present no national security threat to the U.S. The EU and the U.S. should instead cooperate with other G7 partners and beyond on solving common challenges, such as global steel and aluminium overcapacity, which threatens the viability of the metal producing sectors on both sides of the Atlantic.”
“The EU will now respond to these measures swiftly, firmly and proportionately,” Gill added. “The EU will continue to take the necessary action to protect the interests of European businesses, workers and consumers. The EU stands ready to find a negotiated solution with the U.S. Its countermeasures can be reversed at any time if such a solution is found.”
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