The European Commission has said it was putting forward a new list of US goods worth €72 billion that could be targeted by EU levies if tariff talks with Washington fail.

The bloc’s trade chief, Commissioner Maros Sefcovic, announced the proposal, “accounting for some 72 billion euros’ worth of US imports”, at a meeting with EU ministers in Brussels.

The move came after US President Donald Trump threw months of painstaking negotiations with the EU into disarray by threatening to impose tariffs of 30% on the bloc’s goods if there is no deal by 1 August.

EU trade ministers agreed they were still keen to secure an agreement with Washington before that deadline to head off the damaging duties.

But at the same time Brussels is moving to ready potential retaliation if Mr Trump presses ahead with the sweeping tariffs.

“There was a total unified position among the ministers that we should be ready to respond if needed,” said Denmark’s foreign minister, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, whose country holds the EU’s rotating presidency.

The EU has already prepared a separate list of US imports worth €21 billion that it is ready to target over earlier tariffs from Mr Trump on steel and aluminium.

The bloc announced yesterday that it would further hold off putting that list into force as it searches for a deal with the United States by August.

Mr Šefčovič, who is leading talks on behalf of the EU’s 27 states, said reaching a deal remained the priority – while acknowledging calls from countries including key power France for the bloc to flex its muscles in negotiations.

“The current uncertainty caused by unjustified tariffs cannot persist indefinitely,” Mr Sefcovic told reporters, adding the EU was preparing for “all outcomes”, including “well-considered, proportionate countermeasures”.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen yesterday delayed a package of retaliatory measures over US tariffs on steel and aluminium – a day before they were set to kick in – as a sign of goodwill.

But diplomats said an additional package of reprisal measures will be presented to trade ministers today that could be rolled out if Mr Trump imposes the 30% tariffs.

The EU threatened in May to target a much bigger swathe of US goods including cars and planes if talks fail. Diplomats said the finalised list was expected to be worth €72 billion.

‘Prepare for war’

France’s trade minister Laurent Saint-Martin said retaliation plans should be drawn up with “no taboos” adding the weekend’s setback called for a rethink of the bloc’s tactics.

“If you hold anything back, you are not strengthening your hand in negotiations,” he said at the Brussels talks. “Obviously, the situation since Saturday requires us to change our strategy.”

Denmark’s foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said Brussels needed to show its strength.

“We don’t want any kind of trade war with the US… we don’t want to escalate things,” he said.

“We want a deal but there’s an old saying: If you want peace, you have to prepare for war,” he said ahead of the talks.

EU nations – some of which export far more to the United States than others – have sought to stay on the same page over how strong a line to take with Washington in order to get a deal.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday urged Ms von der Leyen’s commission to “resolutely defend European interests” and said the EU should step up preparation for countermeasures.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz agreed and said he had spoken to Mr Macron, Mr Trump and Ms von der Leyen in the past few days and would “engage intensively” to try to find a solution.

Deals and duties

Brussels had readied duties on US goods worth around €21 billion in response to the levies Mr Trump put on metal imports earlier this year.

But it held off on those measures to give space to find a broader trade agreement – and has now suspended them again until early August.

Since returning to the presidency in January, Mr Trump has unleashed sweeping stop-start tariffs on allies and competitors alike, roiling financial markets and raising fears of a global economic downturn.

But his administration faces pressure to secure deals with trading partners after promising a flurry of agreements.

So far, US officials have only unveiled two pacts, with Britain and Vietnam, alongside temporarily lower tit-for-tat duties with China.

The EU, alongside dozens of other economies, had been set to see its US tariff level increase from a baseline of 10% last Wednesday, but Mr Trump pushed back the deadline to 1 August.

The EU tariff is markedly steeper than the 20% levy Mr Trump unveiled in April – but paused initially until mid-July.

Minister of State for European Affairs Thomas Byrne called for Europe to “work our hardest” for a deal before 1 August.

“That gives us certainty, it protects investments, it protects jobs,” he said.

Article Source – EU says could target €72bn of US goods if tariff talks fail

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