This photograph shows a European flag flying outside the EU headquarters in Brussels on May 6, 2025.
Nicolas Tucat | Afp | Getty Images
The European Union’s executive arm on Thursday said it would launch a dispute with the World Trade Organization over the U.S.’s “reciprocal” tariff policy.
The European Commission also said it had launched a public consultation on a list of U.S. imports potentially subject to countermeasures.
“It is the unequivocal view of the EU that these [U.S.] tariffs blatantly violate fundamental WTO rules,” the European Commission said in a statement.
“The EU’s objective is thus to reaffirm that internationally agreed rules matter, and these cannot be unilaterally disregarded by any WTO member, including the US.”
In a press conference on Wednesday, European Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic said the EU’s main focus was negotiating a deal to avoid President Donald Trump’s 20% reciprocal tariffs on all U.S. imports from the bloc.
However, Sefcovic added that EU continued to “prepare for any scenario.”
The EU has paused an initial set of retaliatory measures — a response to U.S. duties of 25% on steel and aluminum — to enable negotiations. The countermeasures, if implemented, will target around 21 billion euros ($24.1 billion) worth of U.S. goods ranging from agricultural products to clothing, chiefly with a tariff rate of 25%.
Trump has also slapped a 25% tariff on all imported vehicles, hitting many European automakers.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated shortly.