Japan, Trump and European Union
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The tariff drama arrives just days after Trump struck a similar 15% tariff agreement with Japan, signaling a potential shift in how his administration plans to handle trade policy going forward.
The EU and United States are closing in on a trade deal that would impose 15% tariffs on European imports, similar to the agreement U.S. President Donald Trump struck with Japan this week, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.
The European Union is negotiating an outline trade agreement with the Trump administration that would see the bloc accept 15% tariffs on most of its exports to the U.S., people familiar with the matter said.
The European Commission plans to submit counter-tariffs on 93 billion euros ($109 billion) of U.S. goods for approval to EU members, while its trade chief will hold talks with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
Up next could be pacts with India and the European Union, the 27-nation bloc that trades more with the U.S. than anyone else.
As the two biggest economic targets in Donald Trump’s trade war, some analysts thought the European Union and China could move closer together and stake out common ground.
The U.S. and Japan have reached a trade agreement that will lower tariff rates on the longtime U.S. ally down to 15%, President Donald Trump said Tuesday. The 25% tariff rate slated to hit Japan by August will be lowered to 15%, according to Trump, who said Japan will invest $550 billion into the U.S. under the deal.
Trading updates and corporate earnings from some of Europe’s auto giants show the extent to which Trump’s tariffs have started to take their toll.