London – The European Union and Canada announced retaliation rates on Wednesday after the Trump administration’s duties entered into force, expanding a commercial war with several of the main business partners in the United States.
The United States at midnight began to impose 25% tariffs on all imports of steel and aluminum of all commercial partners, without exceptions or exemptions, said the White House.
Officials representing the European Union said that the Member States would place countermeasures at about 26 billion euros, or around $ 28 billion, of goods in the United States. Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said in A statement that the EU “must act to protect consumers and business.”
A worker moves the steel product in North York Iron, a steel supplier in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on February 11, 2025.
Cole Bursston/AFP through Getty Images
“Tariffs are taxes. They are bad for business, and even worse for consumers,” said Von der Leyen. “These tariffs are interrupting supply chains. They bring uncertainty for the economy. Jobs are at stake. Prices will rise. In Europe and in the United States.”
Canada followed by tariff advertisements about approximately 29.8 billion Canadian dollars, or about $ 20.7 billion, in US goods. It is expected to be imported, government officials said. The United States imports more steel and aluminum in Canada than any other country.
“Our only approach is to defend the interests of Canada, Canadian works and Canadian workers,” said Dominic Leblanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs in Canada, at a press conference in Ottawa.
Canadian tariffs will begin at 12:01 am on Thursday, said Leblanc. They were designed to be proportional to US tariffs, he said.
The European measures were also designed to match the scope of these US rates, which the European Union said it would be worth around $ 28 billion. The countermeasures were expected to begin on April 1 and were completely in their place before April 13, the commission said.
“Meanwhile, we will always remain open to negotiation,” said Von der Leyen.
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, addresses the members of the European Parliament on the new plans to increase the agreed defense expense at the summit last week on Tuesday, March 11, 2025 in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, this one in France.
Pascal Bastien/AP
The countermeasures include two steps, the first of which is to restore on April 1 a previously suspended set Turmedidas 2018 and 2020 against the United States in a range of products.
For step two, Member States will be implemented in mid -April, new countermeasures aimed at 18 billion euros in American products entering the block.
These new countermeasures will go to industrial and agricultural products, which include steel and aluminum, appliances, wood products, poultry, beef and other food imports, according to An information sheet Launched on Wednesday.
Maros Sefcovic, EU trade commissioner, said that European officials would continue working with their American counterparts towards a “win-win” result, but “unjustified tariffs in our exports will not remain unanswered.”
“We should make this great stronger relationship, no further,” he said in a statement.
Zunaira Zaki of ABC News contributed to this report.
