The European Union responds to Trump’s tariffs

The European Union on Wednesday adopted its first measures in response to tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump, announcing tariffs on a range of US products such as motorcycles, soybeans, and poultry, according to the European Commission.

These measures come in response to the 25% tariffs imposed by Washington on steel and aluminum imports in mid-March.

The Europeans are expected to announce their response to the 20% tariffs imposed by the US president on April 2 early next week.

However, the European Union confirmed that it is ready to suspend its tariffs at any time if a fair and balanced agreement is reached with Washington.

In recent months, the 27 EU member states have been hit with tariffs imposed by Washington three times and are preparing to retaliate.

In a vote on Wednesday afternoon, member states agreed to impose tariffs on a preliminary list of US goods worth more than €20 billion.

The list includes agricultural products such as soybeans, poultry, rice, and many fruits.

The retaliation also includes tariffs of up to 25% on wood, motorcycles, plastic products, electrical equipment, and cosmetics.

Europeans have been keen to target products from states governed by Donald Trump’s Republican Party.

However, they chose to exclude bourbon whiskey from the list of targeted products.

Several wine-producing countries, including Italy and France, expressed fear that targeting it would lead to retaliation against the European wine and spirits sector.

Most of these tariffs will take effect in mid-May, while others, such as those imposed on almonds, will take effect in December.

Before the vote, Hungary, a close ally of Donald Trump, announced that it would oppose the measures, asserting that they would only exacerbate the situation for European consumers.

Brussels still hopes to reach a negotiated solution to the US tariffs, which it considers unjustified.

The European Union intends to submit its response to US taxes on cars and all other European products as early as next week, meanwhile, there is currently disagreements among member states over the level of response.