Lone Cook, Associated Press
BRUSSELS (AP) – The European Union on Thursday released a list of US imports if there is no solution to end US President Donald Trump’s tariff war, and if a possible solution is found to include aircraft maker Boeing.
At the same time, the European Commission, the EU’s administrative arm, said it would launch legal action at the World Trade Organization over “mutual tariffs” Trump imposed on countries around the world a month ago.
“The EU is completely committed to finding out the outcomes negotiated with the US,” the Ursula von der Reyen Commission said. “At the same time, we continue to prepare for all the possibilities.”
The Commission manages trade transactions and disputes on behalf of 27 EU countries.
In early April, Trump imposed a 20% collection on goods from the EU as part of his tariff onslaught on global trading partners. A week later, he suspended them for 90 days and gave the country the opportunity to negotiate a solution to US trade concerns.
The blanket 10% tariff still applies to EU imports.
The committee has come up with measures to target 20.9 billion euros ($23.6 billion) of US products. But it also paused them for 90 days to give them a chance to negotiate.
The block’s top trader is trying to find a solution between Brussels and Washington, with little to no avail, but the committee has released a list of US imports worth 95 billion euros ($100 billion).
This list is categorized into sectors and broad categories of products, not brand names. It includes 1.05 billion euros ($11.9 billion) worth of aircraft, 10.3 billion euros ($11.6 billion) in vehicle parts, and 2 billion euros ($2.3 billion) in vehicles.
Imports of approximately 1.3 billion euros ($1.5 billion) of US wine, beer and spirit could also be hit hard. European wine producers are deeply concerned that Trump’s tariffs will take a serious blow to their sector, and that is their reliance on the US.
Interested businesses and parties are given until June 10th to provide feedback before the committee decides on its next step. “Boeing is very welcome to comment on this list,” said a committee official who said it was explaining reporters about the list and basis for the EU’s approach.
In parallel, the committee said it is taking legal action at the governing body of world trade and will immediately request consultations with the US to resolve issues that must be made within two months.
He said the action will focus on Trump’s “universal” mutual tariffs and obligations on automobile and vehicle parts. “It is the EU’s clear view that these tariffs blatantly violate basic WTO rules,” the statement said.
The committee estimates that EU exports to the US have been hit by new tariffs, including those that have been suspended until mid-July since Trump took office. They have already said, “upped business costs, curbed growth, promoted inflation and increased economic uncertainty.”
Original issue: May 8, 2025 9:26am EDT
