EU Retaliates With Tariffs on Produce From GOP States

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BRUSSELS — The European Union on March 12 announced retaliatory trade action with new duties on U.S. industrial and farm products, responding within hours to the Trump administration’s increase in tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports to 25%.

The world’s biggest trading bloc was expecting the U.S. tariffs and prepared in advance, but the measures still place great strain on already tense transatlantic relations. Only last month, Washington warned Europe that it would have to take care of its own security in the future.

The EU measures will cover goods from the United States worth some 26 billion euros ($28 billion), and not just steel and aluminum products, but also textiles, home appliances and agricultural goods. Motorcycles, bourbon, peanut butter and jeans will be hit, as they were during President Donald Trump’s first term.

The EU duties aim for pressure points in the U.S. while minimizing additional damage to Europe. The tariffs — taxes on imports — primarily target Republican-held states, hitting soybeans in House speaker Mike Johnson’s Louisiana, but also beef and poultry in Kansas and Nebraska. Produce in Alabama, Georgia and Virginia is also on the list.

We regret the unjustified US 25% tariff on steel and aluminium imports.

The EU will protect its consumers and businesses.

We are launching swift, proportionate countermeasures worth up to €26 billion, matching the economic impact of the US tariffs.

More about our response ↓ — European Commission (@EU_Commission) March 12, 2025

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement that the bloc “will always remain open to negotiation.”

“As the U.S. are applying tariffs worth $28 billion, we