The European Commission put on Monday, July 14, on the table of the 27 member countries of the European Union (EU) on Monday, July 14, a list of possible reprisals in the amount of 72 billion euros, in the event that the United States imposes customs duties of 30 % on imports from the EU.
“We were negotiating first, but we are preparing at the same time”assured the European trade commissioner, Maros Sefcovic, before the press, after a meeting of the EU trade ministers in Brussels. He stressed that it was a common position of the twenty-seven.
“The ministers have adopted a completely united position on the need to be ready to react” If necessary, said Danish Foreign Minister Lars Rokke Rasmussen said, whose country is currently running the country.
Preparation of potential reprisals
The European Commissioner, chief negotiator on the European side in these difficult commercial negotiations with the United States, confirmed his intention to continue the discussions until the deadline of 1is August decided by President Donald Trump, including on Monday with his American counterparts.
And Marcos Sefcovic to add: “But as I have already said, you need two hands to applaud”and therefore the EU must also prepare any reprisals in the event of failure of the discussions. The list of 72 billion euros in American goods that the EU could target does not exhaust the field of all possibilities, he also said.
“All instruments remain on the table”he said. The European Union has already prepared a separate American import list in the amount of 21 billion euros that it is ready to aim due to customs duties already imposed by Donald Trump on steel and aluminum. These measures are currently suspended.