Following a meeting in Brussels, EU foreign and trade ministers expressed frustration with Washington’s lack of agreement and signalled readiness to respond if negotiations break down.
The European Union (EU) on 14 July 2025 warned that it may implement countermeasures if ongoing trade negotiations with the US fail to prevent the imposition of 30% tariffs, threatened by President Donald Trump, scheduled to begin on 1 August.
Following a meeting in Brussels, EU foreign and trade ministers expressed frustration with Washington’s lack of agreement and signalled readiness to respond if negotiations break down.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen described the tariff threat as “absolutely unacceptable,” while EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič confirmed that all 27 EU member states agreed countermeasures would be necessary if talks failed.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said such high US duties would “hit the German export industry to the core”.
Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani noted that the EU has already prepared a list of retaliatory tariffs worth EUR 21 billion (USD 24.5 billion) on US goods.
Trump stated that he was open to continued discussions with the EU and other trading partners before the tariffs take effect, confirming that EU officials would visit Washington for further talks. The proposed tariffs will target most imports from the EU and Mexico, as well as other countries such as Japan and South Korea.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump announced a 35% tariff on Canadian imports and plans to impose 15% or 20% tariffs on most other trading partners.
