BRUSSELS (Reuters) -EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic will head to Washington D.C. on Wednesday for tariffs talks, an EU spokesperson told Reuters, adding that he will meet U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened a 30% tariff on imports from the EU from August 1, a level Europe says is unacceptable and would end normal trade between two of the world’s largest markets.
The European Commission, which oversees trade for the EU, has prepared to target 72 billion euros ($83.63 billion) worth of U.S. goods – from Boeing aircraft and bourbon whiskey to cars – for possible tariffs if trade talks with Washington fail.
The list, sent to EU member states and seen by Reuters on Tuesday, pre-dated Trump’s move over the weekend to ramp up pressure on the 27-nation bloc and responded instead to U.S. duties on cars and car parts and a 10% baseline tariff.
The package also covers chemicals, medical devices, electrical and precision equipment as well as agriculture and food products – a range of fruits and vegetables, along with wine, beer and spirits – valued at 6.35 billion euros.
Trump’s roll-out of his tariff policies has often been chaotic. His moves have upended decades of negotiated reductions in global trade barriers, unsettling international financial markets and threatening a new wave of inflation.
The August 1 deadline gives targeted countries time to negotiate about lower tariff rates. Some economists have also noted Trump’s pattern of backing off his tariff threats.
($1 = 0.8610 euros)
(Reporting by Phil Blenkinsop, Writing by Charlotte Van Campenhout and Ingrid Melander, Editing by Bart Meijer, Alexandra Hudson)
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