EU to Impose Counter Tariffs on $28 Billion Worth of US Goods

President Donald Trump’s blanket 25 percent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports have gone into effect.

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen speaks at the European Parliament, in Strasbourg, France, on March 11, 2025. Frederick Florin / AFP

The European Union responded on March 12 to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs by targeting 26 billion euros ($28 billion) worth of American goods with countermeasures set to take effect next month.

The EU said the tariffs will apply to industrial-grade steel and aluminum, as well as semi-finished and finished steel and aluminum products, including derivative commercial goods ranging from machinery parts to knitting needles.

“We regret the unjustified US 25% tariff on steel and aluminium imports,” the EU Commission said in a post on the social media platform X. “We are launching swift, proportionate countermeasures worth up to €26 billion, matching the economic impact of the US tariffs.”

Trump’s 25 percent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports went into effect shortly after midnight on March 12.

The president announced last month that he was introducing new standards requiring steel to be “melted and poured” and aluminum to be “smelted and cast” in North America to prevent countries like China from circumventing trade restrictions.

Trump said the purpose is to stop other nations from taking advantage of the United States, bolster domestic production, and bring jobs back to the U.S. economy.

“This is a big deal, the beginning of making America rich again,” Trump told reporters at the Oval Office on Feb. 10. “Our nation requires steel and aluminum to be made in America, not in foreign lands.”

Negotiations

In a March 12 post on X, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said: “We deeply regret the US tariffs imposed on Europe.”

She said that tariffs are taxes and “are bad for business, and even worse for consumers.”

“Today Europe takes strong but proportionate countermeasures,” she added. “We remain ready to engage in dialogue.”

The European Commission said it will end its current suspension of tariffs on U.S. products on April 1 and that its tariffs will be fully in place by April 13.

The British government said it was disappointed, but stopped short of saying it would impose retaliatory trade tariffs in response to the U.S. measures.

“It’s disappointing the U.S. has today imposed global tariffs on steel and aluminium,” British Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said on Wednesday. “We are focused on a pragmatic approach and are rapidly negotiating a wider economic agreement with the U.S. to eliminate additional tariffs and to benefit UK businesses and our economy.”

The UK’s steel sector is small but produces specialist products for defense and other industries.

In a statement, the British trade body, UK Steel said: “The US is the UK’s second most important export market for steel after the EU, particularly as it is a high value market.”

The trade body said that the tariffs “will have hugely damaging consequences for UK suppliers and their customers in the US.”

The United States was Britain’s second most important export market for steel after the EU, accounting for 9 percent of UK steel exports by value and 7 percent by volume, according to UK Steel.

Canada

On March 10, Trump said on Truth Social that he would raise tariffs on Canadian aluminum and steel imports to 50 percent.

Trump’s announcement came after Ontario Premier Doug Ford slapped a 25 percent surcharge on electricity exports to some U.S. states and threatened to cut off their electricity.

Following a “productive conversation about the economic relationship” between the North American neighbors with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Ford confirmed on March 11 that he would suspend the 25 percent tax.

On Tuesday, Trump’s trade adviser Peter Navarro confirmed the 50 percent tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum will not take effect on Wednesday.

Instead, the original 25 percent tariffs were imposed.

Philip K. Bell, the president of the Steel Manufacturers Association, applauded Trump’s tariffs.

“President Trump understands that America’s steel industry is the backbone of our economy,” he said in a statement last month. “A thriving domestic steel industry is critical to U.S. national, energy and economic security.”

The United Steelworkers (USW) International leadership offered mixed feedback.

While the group supports Trump’s efforts to halt global overcapacity, it disapproves of targeting “trusted trade partners, like Canada.”

“Our union welcomes President Donald Trump’s efforts to contain the global overcapacity that has for too long enabled bad actors like China to flood the global market with its unfairly traded products, resulting in surging imports into the United States, especially from Mexico,” USW International president David McCall said in a Feb. 10 statement.

Andrew Moran and Reuters contributed to this report.