Source: European Parliament
On 10 February 2025 the United States (US) announced the imposition a 25% tariff on all US imports of steel and aluminium as of 12 March 2025 and subsequently published a list of downstream products to which the tariffs will also apply[1][2][3]. On 13 February 2025, the US announced plans to impose so-called ‘reciprocal tariffs’[4].
The President of the Commission and the Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security publicly stated that while the EU is ready to discuss mutually beneficial solutions, any unjustified tariffs will trigger firm and proportionate EU countermeasures . The President spoke to the Vice-President of the United States on 11 February 2025.
Moreover, the Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security also discussed this with his counterparts, including during a meeting in Washington on 19 February 2025.
The Commission will spare no effort to avert unnecessary tensions but is ready to act to safeguard its economic interests. The EU has at its disposal instruments that allow addressing unjustified measures, including with tariffs.
To promote European competitiveness, the Commission adopted its Competitiveness Compass[5], the strategic framework for the Commission’s work in this mandate, and other industrial policy initiatives[6].
The Competitiveness Compass sets out an approach and a selection of flagship measures on three transformational imperatives to boost competitiveness: closing the innovation gap, a joint roadmap for decarbonisation and competitiveness, and reducing excessive dependencies and increasing security.
The 2025 Annual Single Market and Competitiveness Report[7] provide an analytical basis for the EU’s industrial strategy.
- [1] https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/adjusting-imports-of-steel-into-the-united-states/
- [2] https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/02/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-restores-section-232-tariffs/
- [3] https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2025-02-18/pdf/2025-02832.pdf and https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2025-02-18/pdf/2025-02833.pdf
- [4] https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/02/reciprocal-trade-and-tariffs/
- [5] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52025DC0030
- [6] For example, the Clean Industrial Deal proposes six business drivers for a competitive yet decarbonising economy: (1) affordable energy, (2) lead markets, (3) financing, (4) circularity and access to materials, (5) global markets and international partnerships and (6) skills.
- [7] https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/publications/2025-annual-single-market-and-competitiveness-report_en