EU Committee may impose duties on US
Photo: The EU committee may approve tariffs against the US on April 9 (Getty Images)
EU countries may approve the first countermeasures against US duties on April 9. In doing so, they would join China and Canada, which have already taken similar steps, Reuters reports.
The European Commission, which coordinates EU trade policy, proposed on Monday additional duties of 25% on a range of imported goods from the United States in response to US tariffs on metals.
Imports include motorcycles, poultry, fruit, wood, clothing, and dental floss, according to a document seen by Reuters.
Last year, they amounted to about €21 billion ($23 billion), meaning that the EU's retaliatory measures will target goods worth less than €26 billion of EU metal exports that are affected by the US duties.
"A committee of trade experts from the EU's 27 countries will vote on Wednesday afternoon on the Commission's proposal, which will only be blocked if a "qualified majority" of 15 EU members representing 65% of the EU population vote against," the agency writes.
The restrictions will take effect in stages - on April 15, May 16, and December 1. At the same time, the European Commission is still assessing how to respond to the automotive and broader duties.
Trump's tariffs against EU, China, and Canada
On April 2, Donald Trump imposed tariffs on key US trading partners. In particular, duties of 25% were imposed against the European Union on steel, aluminum, and automobiles.
The US imposed 34% tariffs on imports from China. Beijing decided to impose a 34% tariff on imports from the United States on April 10 in response to the restrictions imposed by the Trump administration.
For its part, Canada also imposed duties against the United States in response. The new measures include duties on vehicles.
