The European Commission has proposed 25% retaliatory tariffs on a range of US goods in retaliation for tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump on steel and aluminium, Reuters reported, citing a document seen by the agency.
The tariffs on some goods will take effect on May 16 and on others on December 1, the document said.
The goods are diverse and include diamonds, eggs, sausages, poultry and others. The counter-tariffs on almonds and soya will take effect on December 1.
European Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic said earlier today that the counter-tariffs would have a smaller impact than the previously announced amount of 26 billion euros. euros ($28.45 billion).
Bourbon, wine and dairy products were removed from the initial list that the Commission was examining in March.
The Commission had envisaged a 50% tariff on bourbon, prompting Trump to threaten to impose 200% retaliatory tariffs on EU spirits. The threat particularly alarmed France and Italy because of their large wine industries.
In addition to these counter-tariffs, the EU already tightened existing safeguard measures on steel on April 1 to reduce imports by 15%. The Commission is also considering import quotas for aluminium.
EU member states are due to vote on the proposal on April 9.