The European Union may respond to Trump with tariffs on €72 billion worth of goods.

 

The European Commission presented the 27 member states on Monday with a list of tariffs on €72 billion worth of goods that could be adopted as retaliation if the United States imposes 30% tariffs on EU imports.

"We are negotiating first, but we are preparing at the same time," EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic said after a meeting of EU trade ministers in Brussels, stressing that this is a common position for all member states.

This move comes after US President Donald Trump ignored months of arduous negotiations with the EU, threatening to impose 30% tariffs on EU imports if an agreement is not reached by August 1.

While the bloc's trade ministers expressed their eagerness to reach an agreement with Washington before the deadline, they confirmed their readiness to take the necessary measures if Trump decides to proceed with comprehensive tariffs.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, said, "There was a completely unified position among the ministers that we must be prepared to respond if necessary."

The EU had prepared a separate list of US imports worth €21 billion, expressing its readiness to impose tariffs on them in response to Trump's previous tariffs on steel and aluminum.

The EU announced on Sunday that it would postpone adopting this list as part of its efforts to reach an agreement with the United States by next month.