Trump announces 30 percent tariffs on EU goods. He announced the date

US President Donald Trump announced that 30 percent tariffs on goods imported from the European Union and Mexico will take effect on August 1. In response, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that the EU will take all necessary steps to protect its interests. She did not rule out taking "proportionate countermeasures."

The United States is raising tariffs on goods imported from European Union countries and Mexico. An EU official told Reuters that the announcement of 30 percent tariffs on European goods is a negotiating tactic by Trump.

In response , European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that the EU would take all necessary steps to protect its interests. She did not rule out taking "proportionate countermeasures."

"Imposing 30% tariffs on EU exports would disrupt crucial transatlantic supply chains , to the detriment of businesses, consumers and patients on both sides of the Atlantic," the European Commission president said in a statement.

"We are ready to continue working towards reaching an agreement by August 1. At the same time, we will take all necessary steps to protect the EU's interests, including taking proportionate countermeasures if necessary," she added.

On Wednesday morning, speaking at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stressed that the EU was "working closely" with Donald Trump's administration, but was also preparing for "all scenarios" .

That same day, European Commission spokesman Olof Gill said the bloc's goal was to conclude a trade agreement with the US by August 1st , the new deadline set by Washington for concluding negotiations. The initial 90-day suspension of the tariffs announced by Trump expired on July 9th .

Currently, EU products entering the US market are subject to a base tariff of 10%, but at one point the US president threatened the EU with tariffs as high as 50% . According to media reports, the EU wants to maintain the tariff level at 10% , but also obtain tariff exemptions for items such as aircraft, aircraft parts, and alcohol.

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On Wednesday, the US president sent letters regarding new tariffs to Brazil, the Philippines, Brunei, Moldova, Algeria, Iraq, and Libya. He also announced that additional countries would soon receive letters regarding the new tariffs . Trump published the first batch of copies of the letters addressed to 14 countries online on Monday. Among the recipients were South Korea and Japan. A 25% tariff is to be imposed on imports from these countries.

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Meanwhile, Reuters reports that for the first time , the total tariffs collected by the U.S. Customs Service in the first half of 2025 exceeded $100 billion , and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent wrote on the X website that this proves that the U.S. is benefiting from the president's trade policies . Earlier this week, Bessent stated that he expects the tariffs collected by the end of the year to be worth $300 billion .