EU prepares tariffs on US goods worth up to €93 bln

The European Union is considering imposing tariffs worth €93 billion against the United States or restricting U.S. companies’ access to the EU’s internal market in response to threats by U.S. President Donald Trump to apply duties against Europe over the issue of Greenland, the Financial Times reports.

According to sources cited by the newspaper, the aim of these measures is not only a trade response, but also an attempt to halt a process that is already being viewed in Europe as a potentially existential threat to the entire Western security system.

A list of possible tariffs was prepared last year, but its implementation was postponed until February 6 in order to avoid immediate escalation and a full-scale trade war between the EU and the United States.

At the same time, France and Germany are holding consultations on a common line of action and do not rule out the use of the so-called Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI). This mechanism allows the EU to restrict investment, exports, and the activities of companies from countries that use economic pressure to achieve political objectives.

“Trump’s threats clearly fall under the definition of coercion. The ACI was created precisely for such cases,” one senior European official commented.

EU Plans to Halt Trade Agreement with the United States

The European Parliament says that approval of a trade agreement with the United States is currently impossible due to President Donald Trump’s tariff threats, Bloomberg reports.

Manfred Weber, president of the European People’s Party, the largest political group in the European Parliament, said that a deal with the United States is no longer feasible. He noted that the EU agreement to reduce tariffs on U.S. goods should be put on hold.

The EU–U.S. trade agreement, concluded by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with Trump in the summer of 2025, has already been partially implemented but still requires parliamentary approval. If lawmakers from the European People’s Party join left-leaning political groups, they are likely to have enough votes to delay or block ratification.

The agreement envisaged the United States imposing a 15% tariff on most EU goods in exchange for the European Union committing to eliminate tariffs on U.S. industrial goods and part of its agricultural products. Von der Leyen, who is responsible for EU trade negotiations, agreed to the deal in the hope of avoiding a full-scale trade war with Trump.

An influential group of European lawmakers has long opposed the agreement, arguing that it is overly one-sided in favor of the United States.

Tags: EU, USA, duties