OTTAWA, March 13th (AMSP/CGTN) – – The European Union and Canada on Wednesday announced counter tariffs in response to U.S. imposition of a 25-percent tariff on all imported steel and aluminum.
With the U.S. tariffs taking effect on Wednesday, the European Commission announced its decision to impose retaliatory tariffs on 26 billion euros (28 billion U.S. dollars) worth of U.S. goods.
The countermeasures will be implemented in two stages, beginning on April 1 and fully taking effect on April 13, according to a statement released by the Commission.
Denouncing the U.S. move as “unjustified”, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasized that the countermeasures introduced are firm yet proportionate.
“As the U.S. is applying tariffs worth 28 billion dollars, we are responding with countermeasures worth 26 billion euros. This matches the economic scope of the U.S. tariffs,” she said.
However, she also stressed that the EU remains open to negotiations and has tasked the European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic with resuming talks to seek solutions with the United States.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he would “of course” respond to these countermeasures.
Canada on the same day announced 25 percent reciprocal tariffs targeting 29.8 billion Canadian dollars (20.7 billion U.S. dollars) worth of imports from the United States, including steel and aluminum products, computers, and sporting goods. The tariffs will come into effect on Thursday.
These latest retaliatory measures followed Canada’s earlier response to the U.S. imposition of 25 percent tariffs on Canadian and Mexican products, which came into effect on March 4. Canada had previously imposed retaliatory tariffs of 25 percent on 30 billion Canadian dollars’ worth of U.S. goods, including poultry, meat, dairy products and wheat.
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