European Union officials have decided to postpone their retaliation against President Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs, including a 50 percent levy on American whiskey, until mid-April. The delay aims to refine the list of products that will be targeted and to provide more time for negotiations with the United States.
The European Commission announced that all countermeasures, which were initially planned to start phasing in on March 31, will now take effect in mid-April. This decision gives additional time for discussions with the US administration, according to Olof Gill, a spokesman for the Commission.
The EU has been consulting with its 27 member nations to determine the specific items that will be subjected to new tariffs. A 99-page list covers a wide range of products, from lingerie to soy products to machinery parts. European officials expect to impose tariffs on up to €26 billion ($28 billion) worth of exports.
However, the EU’s plan has been met with resistance from Washington, and European officials have been informed that negotiations to avert tariffs will not begin until April. US President Trump has threatened to impose a 200 percent tariff on European champagne, wine, and other alcohol in response to Europe’s measures, leading to criticism from some European leaders.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has warned against a “vicious circle” of trade measures, while France’s Prime Minister François Bayrou has stated that Europe risks “hitting the wrong targets.” The delay in the first wave of European countertariffs aims to strike the right balance between protecting EU producers, exporters, and consumers while remaining open to dialogue with the US.
Maros Sefcovic, the EU’s trade commissioner, stated in a speech in Brussels that Europeans believe the US plans to impose additional tariffs on April 2 and that Trump administration officials do not want to negotiate until after those measures are announced. Sefcovic added that the EU will be flexible in responding to the new measures.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/20/world/europe/us-tariffs-eu-whiskey.html
