The initial part of the tariffs imposed by the European Union in retaliation against the U.S. customs duties will come into effect on April 15. Maros Sefcovic, the EU Commission’s Member responsible for Trade, and Michal Baranowski, the Deputy Minister of Economy for Poland, the current EU presidency, announced that the Union cannot postpone its response to the U.S. customs duties. Sefcovic indicated that they are in the early stages of negotiations with the U.S., stating, “The U.S. has used tariffs not as a tactical but a corrective measure. We are fully prepared to sit at the negotiation table when our American partners are ready.” Sefcovic emphasized that all member countries’ trade ministers are acting collectively within the Union, revealing that while the Commission’s priority is a solution through negotiation, they cannot wait indefinitely for the U.S.

Stressing that the U.S. customs duties have had a significant impact on a considerable portion of the EU’s exports, Sefcovic stated, “We are talking about €380 billion worth of exports to the U.S. here. That is, 70% of our total exports are subjected to customs duties at rates of 20%, 25%, or when combined with the existing tariffs, up to 27.5%, for example, for passenger cars. In contrast, we have proposed a zero-tariff scheme for both cars and all industrial products.” Sefcovic highlighted that following negotiations with member countries in response to U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs, they have been working on retaliation measures, with the vote scheduled for April 9, the final list to be accepted on April 15, and customs duties for products to take effect on the same day.

Sefcovic outlined, “All dates have been clearly set by the legal process. We will present the final list tonight within this framework. We expect the vote to take place on Wednesday, and once completed, customs duties will be collected starting from April 15. This is for the first part of the process. The second part, in full compliance with the World Trade Organization’s methodology, will come into effect 30 days later on May 15.” He expressed, “We will sooner or later sit at the negotiation table with the U.S. and reach a mutually acceptable compromise.” Polish Deputy Minister Baranowski stated that they want to give their American partners time to thoroughly consider the situation, mentioning, “These solutions do not seem to be very beneficial for the U.S. economy either.”