The European Union has unveiled plans to impose tariffs on US spirits, wine, and beer worth €1.3 billion in response to the United States’ recent trade actions. This move follows Washington’s decision to implement blanket 10% tariffs on all EU products, including spirits, and to extend 25% tariffs on EU steel and aluminum to beer imports.
The US initially refrained from imposing tariffs on European alcoholic beverages in its first round of retaliatory measures, which were delayed until July. This decision came after significant lobbying from EU governments and European producers of spirits and wine, who feared further tariffs on their own exports. However, the new sweeping tariffs on EU goods, including spirits, have prompted Brussels to take action.
A senior European Commission official confirmed on Thursday that the proposed tariffs focus on €1.3 billion worth of American alcoholic beverages, a decision that reflects the escalating tensions between the US and the EU. “This was something that was discussed at the time of the steel measures,” the official remarked, noting that while US tariffs did not initially target EU wine and spirits, this has now changed.
Bourbon whiskey, a significant US export, had already been subjected to EU tariffs in 2018 during the Trump administration, although those measures were suspended in 2021 following a trade truce between the EU and the Biden administration.
The Commission emphasized that the list of targeted US products remains open for consultation until June 10, inviting feedback from European industry stakeholders. In addition to the €1.3 billion in tariffs on spirits, wine, and beer, the EU’s proposed measures include a broader range of agricultural and food imports worth €6.4 billion, as well as €500 million in tariffs on fisheries.
The European Commission’s proposed tariffs form part of a wider set of countermeasures. A 218-page document released by Brussels outlines proposed tariffs targeting nearly €100 billion in US exports. The first 70 pages focus on agricultural goods, ranging from fruit and vegetables to meat and seed oils, with additional tariffs proposed on pesticides, agricultural machinery, and other sectors.
These tariffs build upon an earlier list that already targeted a variety of high-value US agricultural exports, including soybeans and almonds, marking an intensification of the trade dispute between the two global economic powers.
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