On 12 March, the United States imposed tariffs of up to 25% on imports of steel, aluminium, and certain products containing steel and aluminium from the European Union and other trading partners. In response, the Commission is launching a series of countermeasures.
The US has implemented new measures that include reinstating the June 2018 Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum products, covering various semifinished and finished goods like steel pipes, wire, and tin foil.
The tariffs on aluminum were increased from 10% to 25%, and the tariffs were extended to additional products, including household items like cookware and window frames, as well as products partially made from steel or aluminum, such as machinery, gym equipment, electrical appliances, and furniture.
Moreover, the US tariffs will impact €26 billion worth of EU exports, about 5% of total EU goods exports to the US. This will result in US importers facing up to €6 billion in additional import tariffs based on current import flows.
The EU’s response
The Commission has launched a swift and proportionate response, designed to defend European interests through two countermeasures:
- The reimposition of the suspended 2018 and 2020 rebalancing measures;
- The imposition of a new package of additional measures.
- Reimposing suspended countermeasures
On 1 April 2025, the 2018 and 2020 rebalancing measures will automatically be reinstated once their suspension expires on 31 March. For the first time, these rebalancing measures will be implemented in full. Tariffs will be applied on products ranging from boats to bourbon to motorbikes.
A new package of additional measures
Since the new US tariffs are significantly broader in scope and affect a significantly higher value of European trade, the Commission launched on 12 March the process to impose additional countermeasures on the US.
These will target approximately €18 billion worth of goods, which will then apply together with the reimposed measures from 2018. The objective is to ensure that the total value of the EU measures corresponds to the increased value of trade impacted by the new US tariffs.
The first step in this process is the launch of a two-week consultation with EU stakeholders. These consultations will ensure that the right products are chosen for inclusion in the new countermeasures, ensuring an effective and proportionate response that keeps disruption to EU businesses and consumers to a minimum.
The full process to impose the additional countermeasures is as follows:
- 12 March – Stakeholder consultations begin:
The list of targeted products proposed by the Commission is published on the DG TRADE website.
The proposed target products include a mixture of industrial and agricultural products:
- Industrial products include i.a.- steel and aluminium products, textiles, leather goods, home appliances, house tools, plastics, wood products.
- Agricultural products include i.a.- poultry, beef, certain seafood, nuts, eggs, dairy, sugar and vegetables.
- 26 March and following days:
- Stakeholder consultation concludes.
- The Commission consolidates and assesses the stakeholder inputs.
- The Commission finalises its draft implementing act and consult the Member States on it:
- The legal basis for this act will be the Enforcement Regulation (Regulation (EU) No 654/2014), as we consider the US measures to be safeguards.
- This process will follow the comitology procedure, whereby EU Member States will be invited to endorse the proposed measures before they are adopted.
Mid-April – the adoption process concludes and the act imposing the countermeasures enters into force.
