The European Commission on Monday, July 14, said it was putting forward a new list of U.S. goods worth 72 billion euros that could be targeted by EU levies if tariff talks with Washington fail. The move followed Trump’s threat to impose 30% tariffs on EU goods if no deal is reached by August 1.
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 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.
