Washington D.C. — U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed on Monday that planned tariffs on European Union (EU) imports will proceed as scheduled. He demanded that the EU increase its purchases of American energy products to help reduce the U.S. trade deficit.
Rejecting the EU’s proposal of mutual elimination of industrial tariffs, Trump stated, “No, it’s not,” when asked if the offer was sufficient. He emphasized that the EU should boost imports of U.S. oil and gas or face tariffs on their exports, including automobiles and machinery.
An EU spokesperson responded, “The EU is committed to phasing out energy imports from Russia and diversifying our sources of supply.” Currently, the EU sources 47% of its liquefied natural gas and 17% of its oil imports from the United States.
Trump’s firm stance comes amid escalating global trade tensions. Nations worldwide have voiced concerns over potential trade wars, especially after Trump’s recent tariff announcements raised fears of a global economic downturn and rising prices for many goods in the U.S. market.
“They don’t take our cars, they don’t take our farm products; they take almost nothing, and we take everything from them—millions of cars, tremendous amounts of food and farm products,” Trump told journalists after talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who sought reductions on the 17% tariffs imposed by Washington on Israel.
According to U.S. Census Bureau data, the United States had a $208.7 billion goods trade deficit with the EU in 2023. Trump has frequently highlighted this imbalance, asserting that European nations are taking advantage of American trade policies.
To underscore his determination, Trump declared, “This is permanent.” He has dismissed calls to pause or reconsider the tariffs despite ongoing negotiations.
The European Commission maintains that it charges an average tariff of just 1% on U.S. products entering the EU market. They claim that U.S. authorities collected approximately 7 billion euros in tariffs on EU products in 2023, compared to the EU’s 3 billion euros on U.S. goods.
In anticipation of the tariffs, European officials have prepared countermeasures. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced, “As the United States is applying tariffs worth $28 billion, we are responding with countermeasures worth 26 billion euros.”
