EU Commission

Duties, EU list of countermeasures ready for 100 billion if no agreement with the US

The list includes the aviation industry, motor vehicles and components, agribusiness, chemicals and plastics, and electrical equipment

8 May 2025

3' min read

If the negotiations with the US do not produce a 'mutually beneficial' result and 'the removal of US duties' the European Commission intends to respond with countermeasures affecting EUR 95 billion worth of industrial and agricultural goods imported from the US as well as restrictions on certain EU exports to the US of EUR 4.4 billion worth of steel scrap and chemicals.

Brussels launched thepublic consultation on the list of goods that could be subject to countermeasures, a consultation aimed at reacting to both the US 'universal' tariffs and the trade tariffs on cars and components. In 2024, the US has collected around 7 billion in tariffs on EU exports; the Commission estimates that the US could collect 100 billion euros if all ongoing US investigations result in duties.

Final list still in the pipeline

The list includes the aviation industry, motor vehicles and components, agribusiness, chemicals and plastics, and electrical equipment. Services, in which the US has a clear trade advantage and on which there are disagreements between European governments, do not appear.

In more detail, sifting through the 217-page list submitted for public consultation, starting from the top, one finds horses, cattle and buffalo, frozen boneless beef cuts, shoulder and breast cuts, frozen fish, preserved vegetables, fresh, preserved and dried fruit, cereal seeds, rice, soya flour and semolina, prepared and preserved fruit and citrus fruits, various juices, beer, wine, spirits, whisky.

As far as the industrial sector is concerned, the list includes, for example, photographic material, herbicides, disinfectants, laboratory diagnostic reagents, polypropylene and propylene copolymers in primary forms, acrylic polymers. Then trunks, suitcases, briefcases, paper and cardboard, cotton, marble articles, glass, furnaces for the production of semiconductor materials, flat-rolled products of iron or unalloyed steel, hot-rolled bars and wire rod of the type used for concrete reinforcement, expanded metal sheets, of iron or steel, protective chains for motor vehicles, aluminium scrap, metal tools, types of iron and steel pipes, gas turbines, engine components, loading cranes and self-propelled trucks, types of presses and other machinery required for the mechanical engineering, textile and agri-food industries, hard disk storage units for automatic data processing machines, valves, ship propellers, motor vehicles, lithium batteries and batteries, motor vehicles (including tractors), automotive components, aeroplanes and helicopters, cruise ships, excursion boats.

Smartphones also among possible EU counter-duties

Also at risk are smartphones, such as Apple's iPhone. The relevant customs code (8517.13.00) appears in the list of thousands of products published on the European Commission's website.

The long list published by Brussels will not automatically correspond to the final list that will be formalised and then decided by the states in the event that there is no trade agreement.

Von der Leyen: 'We want an understanding with the US but we are ready for anything'

"Tariffs are already having a negative impact on global economies. The EU remains fully committed to finding negotiated solutions with the US. We believe that good agreements can be concluded to the benefit of consumers and businesses on both sides of the Atlantic. At the same time, we continue to prepare for all possibilities and the consultation launched today will help us to navigate through this necessary work'. This was stated by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen after the presentation of the new EUR 100 billion counter-duties list against the US.

Coming EU appeal to WTO against Trump's reciprocal duties

In addition to the counter-duties package, the EU will also go down the litigation route. That is why it will 'soon' present a formal complaint to the World Trade Organisation against the US, challenging the duties announced by Trump. "The EU is firmly convinced that these duties represent a blatant violation of the WTO's core rules," reads a Commission note. "The aim is to reaffirm that internationally agreed rules are important and cannot be ignored unilaterally by any WTO member, including the US."

Wp, US promote Starlink access to loosen measures

While Donald Trump's tariffs force the affected countries to find solutions and countermeasures, several governments seem intent on responding by opening their doors to Starlink, Elon Musk's satellite service. According to an investigation by the Washington Post, Lesotho, India, Cambodia and other countries have granted licences and concessions to the SpaceX giant in an attempt to ease tariff pressure and improve relations with Washington. Documents obtained by the newspaper reveal how the State Department is actively promoting Starlink abroad, partly at the instigation of Secretary Marco Rubio. Less than two weeks after the announcement of 50 per cent tariffs on goods from Lesotho, the government of the small African state granted Starlink its first Internet service licence, valid for ten years. A decision that, according to a State Department memo, would be a sign of 'goodwill' on the part of the country in negotiations for a trade agreement with the United States.