As of today, the US tariffs on the US are in effect and to the European Union, and the entire “27” have made announcements indicating that the advent of new President in the oval office and his clear intentions have significantly changed the speed of the Union’s response and that there is a concrete plan – a response which no doubt shows some of our reflexes.

The Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, Maroš Šefčovič, in today’s statement, made it clear that the Union will impose sanctions on the US in two stages, as he said there is no other way today for the Union but to “respond”. The US, with the 25% tariffs “running from today” on imports of raw materials and also goods falling under the US “steel and iron” provision, is essentially hitting Germany in particular, which is one of the main exporters of such products to the US.

For its part, the Union is setting its sights on about $28 billion in imports from the US. On 19 billion of that, the tariffs will start on April 1 and are essentially a rollback of tariffs that the Union had again imposed on US products since Trump’s first term.

Commission on standby

The Commission appears to have been ready and relatively prompt in its first-year response to the US by reinstating a package of measures that had had several effects and had hit the US in key – not just economic – areas in 2018 before the pandemic began. In these tariffs, the Union’s measures also had a political impact; for example, the tariffs on Kentucky products, specifically alcohol, had created a major issue for Republican Senator Mitch McConnell – then head of the Senate. The tariffs this time include Harley-Davidson and Levi’s.

The second wave of European tariffs, which will start on April 1, has yet to announce which U.S. products it will target. However, the Commission working group, via leaks, notes that there is already a draft ready, which will be consulted immediately. so that within 15 days, the 27 member states can make their choice. According to the same leaks from the European Commission, there is a special group within the institution, which is also informally titled “Response to Trump,” which has been formed and activated since the 47th President’s election victory last November.