Aircraft, machinery, cars, chemicals and medical devices top the list of US products that the European Commission could impose tariffs on if talks with Washington fail to produce a trade deal.
This is the second package of measures proposed by the European Commission, which runs trade policy for the 27-nation European Union. The package is designed to respond to US tariffs on cars and car parts, and a basic tariff currently set at 10 percent.
But US President Donald Trump is now threatening to impose a basic tariff of 30 percent on EU imports from August 1, which European officials say is unacceptable and would end normal trade between the world’s two largest markets.
The list, sent to EU member states and seen by Reuters on Tuesday, covers US imports worth 72 billion euros. It also includes electrical appliances and precision measuring equipment, as well as agricultural and food products – various types of fruit and vegetables, as well as wine, beer and spirits – worth a total of 6.35 billion euros.
The first round of tariffs on 21 billion euros of US goods was approved in April but was immediately suspended to allow time for negotiations. That suspension has been extended until August 6.
EU officials said on Monday they still wanted to reach a deal to avoid the high tariffs threatened by Trump, but European Trade Commissioner Maros Šefčovič said members had agreed that the bloc would have to take countermeasures if talks failed.
