The European Commission released a list of U.S. products on Friday, March 16, that could be subject to tariffs if the President does not exclude the EU from the Section 232 tariffs. The list was released a week after President Trump signed the proclamations to impose a 25 percent tariff on steel imports and a 10 percent tariff on aluminum imports, which officially take effect on March 23.
Canada and Mexico are currently excluded from the tariffs, but other countries with a ‘security relationship’ to the United States could be eligible for exemption. The U.S. Trade Representative, Ambassador Robert Lighthizer, is leading the negotiations with countries seeking exemptions from the Section 232 tariffs. The European Commission, along with Brazil, South Korea, Japan, India, and Australia, has pressed the United States to exempt them from the upcoming tariffs.
The products that could be subjected to the retaliatory tariffs include U.S. agricultural goods such as sweetcorn, grain rice, and cranberries, along with Kentucky bourbon, cigars, t-shirts, jeans, and motorcycles.