At the heart of the European Commission's (EC) response to Donald Trump's announced tariffs on goods from the European Union (EU), a list seen by Agence France-Presse (AFP) today, are American planes, cars and bourbon, although Brussels still wants to give negotiations a chance.
The US president surprised the EU this weekend with a decree imposing 30 percent tariffs on all imports from the EU, starting August 1st.
The European executive, however, hopes to find a solution through negotiations with the United States (US) before that deadline.
The Commissioner in charge of negotiations with the Trump administration on behalf of the 27 EU member states, Maroš Šefčovič, will speak with his American counterpart today.
"We are currently in the most delicate phase of negotiations and we are striving to reach an agreement in principle before the deadline," spokesman Olof Gil said.
He added: "We would not be engaging in these negotiations if we did not believe they could be successful." At the same time, the EU is working to prepare a response to Donald Trump's tariffs.
The Commission has drawn up a list of US products on which it could impose tariffs in return, which it presented to member states on Monday. The targeted US imports, worth a total of 72 billion euros, will only be subject to tariffs if the EU fails to reach an agreement to lift the tariffs announced by the US president.
The list of goods, in a 202-page document, includes American cars and airplanes, fresh fruit, fish, plastics, chemicals and electrical equipment. But also bourbon, despite repeated protests from France and Italy, which fear that their wines and spirits will be subject to US tariffs in return.
Some of the products are surprising: Christmas trees, live bees, camels and ostriches, condoms, opium, pearls, even human hair.
The list includes key US exports such as soybeans, but also appliances such as sewing machines.
The EC has already drawn up an initial list of US products that will be subject to tariffs in response to the previous round of US tariffs.
However, the list was put aside to give negotiations a chance and avoid a tariff war with its largest trading partner - the USA.
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