The bloc is still assessing how to respond to the car and broader tariffs.
The European Union has approved its first set of retaliatory measures in response to U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum.
“The EU considers U.S. tariffs unjustified and damaging, causing economic harm to both sides, as well as the global economy. The EU has stated its clear preference to find negotiated outcomes with the United States, which would be balanced and mutually beneficial,” the union’s executive said in a statement on Wednesday.
The European Union’s countermeasures to the steel and aluminum tariffs will be on items such as jeans, whiskey, and motorcycles.
More are expected from next Tuesday.
The 25 percent U.S. tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports went into effect shortly after midnight on March 12.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced in February that he was introducing new standards requiring steel to be “melted and poured” and aluminum to be “smelted and cast” in North America to prevent countries such as China from circumventing trade restrictions.
A committee of trade experts from the EU’s 27 countries voted on Wednesday afternoon on the commission’s proposal. EU diplomats said that 26 EU members had voted in favor, with only Hungary voting against the proposal.
The bloc is still assessing how to respond to the car and broader tariffs.
“These countermeasures can be suspended at any time, should the United States agree to a fair and balanced negotiated outcome,” the European Commission said.
Trump said late on April 7 that the European Union would need to buy $350 billion worth of American energy to secure relief from tariffs.
Trump was responding to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who said on Monday during a news conference in Brussels that the EU was ready to negotiate a “zero-for-zero” tariff pact on industrial goods.
When asked by a reporter at the White House whether the offer was enough for him to back down on 20 percent duties on imports, Trump said: “No, it’s not.
By Owen Evans
