Welcome back to European Union Tariff News and Tracker. I'm your host, and today we're diving into the escalating tensions between Washington and Brussels over trade tariffs that are reshaping the transatlantic relationship.
Just this week, US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer met with EU trade ministers for the first time since July to discuss implementation of the tariff deal agreed between Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and President Donald Trump. That deal aimed to avert an all-out trade war by establishing a fifteen percent US tariff on most EU exports including cars, semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, and lumber. However, the agreement is proving far more complicated than initially hoped.
The real friction centers on several unresolved issues. The US continues to maintain fifty percent tariffs on steel and aluminum that European exporters are desperate to reduce. Trump's administration has also expanded the scope of what qualifies as steel and aluminum derivative products. Back in August, the US added four hundred seven product types to this list, meaning more European goods face higher duties than originally anticipated. On the other side, Washington is now demanding that Brussels roll back its digital regulations, particularly the Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act, which the US claims disproportionately target American tech companies like Google, Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft.
Commerce Secretary Lutnick made clear after Monday's meeting that the US will not lower steel and aluminum tariffs unless the EU reconsiders its approach to tech regulation. This linkage between tariffs and regulatory policy represents a new pressure point that's dividing European member states internally. While some, like Germany, are signaling openness to loosening digital restrictions to attract AI investment, others maintain these rules are necessary protections and shouldn't be dictated by tariff threats.
The agreement still awaits approval by the European Parliament, which has been slow to move. Meanwhile, individual member states are suffering different economic impacts. Poland's government estimates losses of about two billion euros from the fifteen percent tariffs. Bulgaria's Economy Ministry calculated direct impacts of four hundred sixty-eight million euros with additional indirect effects. Italy faces catastrophic pressure on pasta exports with a ninety-one point seventy-four percent anti-dumping tariff on top of the base fifteen percent, bringing total duties to nearly one hundred seven percent set to take effect in January twenty-twenty-six.
The EU has made significant concessions already, including a commitment to purchase seven hundred fifty billion dollars in US energy through the end of Trump's term in January twenty twenty-nine. The European Commission reports that the US now supplies sixty percent of EU liquefied natural gas imports, up from forty-five percent.
As these negotiations continue, both sides remain at odds over implementation details, with the US demanding faster EU compliance while Brussels navigates internal divisions and the complex procedures required for parliamentary approval.
Thank you for tuning in to European Union Tariff News and Tracker. Please subscribe for ongoing coverage of how these tariffs impact European economies and businesses. This has been a Quiet Please production. For more, check out quietplease.ai.
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