The president of the United States, Donald Trump, announced on Saturday that starting August 1, 30% tariffs will be imposed on imports from the European Union (EU) and Mexico.
This measure, published on his social network Truth Social, especially surprised European leaders, since they had been in negotiations with the office of the U.S. Trade Representative, Jamieson Greer, for months.
Negotiations between the United States and the European Union had reached a preliminary agreement that included a 10% tariff, five times higher than the level prior to Trump's presidency.
Although considered painful by the EU, it was still seen as a way to avoid a trade escalation. However, the announcement of a 30% tariff was interpreted as an unexpected move, leaving little hope for de-escalation.
The blow has caused alarm in several European capitals and trade ministers of the bloc, who will meet this Monday at an already scheduled summit, are expected to face pressure to respond with countermeasures worth up to EUR 21 billion (about USD 24.6 billion), which had been suspended until midnight that same day.
In his letter addressed to the EU leadership, Trump criticized the large and persistent trade deficits with Europe, and stated that the bloc's tariff and non-tariff policies were not reciprocal.
He stated that it was time to change that dynamic. Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, described the tariff increase as a threat to transatlantic supply chains and warned that it will negatively affect businesses, consumers, and patients on both sides of the Atlantic.
