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On 2 April, US President Donald Trump announced a new tariff regime targeting countries with which the US runs large trade deficits. Among the key measures is a 20% tariff on EU goods, alongside higher duties on imports from countries including China, Vietnam, Switzerland, Thailand and Japan (see link).

The announcement has prompted immediate concern across the European Union. In response to last month's 25% tariff on steel and aluminium imports into the US, the European Commission has already reinstated previously suspended rebalancing measures from 2018 and 2020 and is preparing a new package of countermeasures targeting approximately €18 billion of US goods. These new measures, which are currently under consultation with stakeholders and Member States, are expected to be adopted by mid-April. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated earlier this week “we prefer negotiation over confrontation”, referring to a four-week window to convince Donald Trump to drop his 20% tariffs on EU goods, with retaliation ruled out before late April. However, she also underlined that the EU is “prepared to respond” if necessary.

CLECAT has expressed strong opposition to the US measures, warning that they will inflict unnecessary damage on European trade. CLECAT notes that this will ‘harm businesses and consumers on both sides of the Atlantic,’ calling the transatlantic relationship ‘the largest and most important in the world.’ This is an unjustified escalation that poses a disruptive blow to global supply chains and Europe’s economic recovery, said Nicolette van der Jagt, Director General of CLECAT. ‘The logistics sector is already navigating a challenging environment marked by geopolitical tensions, high compliance burdens and volatile demand. New tariffs of this scale inject even more uncertainty, increase costs for our exporters, and weaken the competitiveness of European industry.’ CLECAT supports the European Commission’s balanced approach in keeping space open for negotiation.