Under the Plan, the US imposed a preliminary 10% tariff on imports from the EU, which took effect on 5 April, and will start applying a 20% general tariff on EU goods from 9 April. Furthermore, the Washington applied a 25% duty on EU cars. The new duties cover 70% of EU exports, with an exemption for pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, and lumber. However, ad-hoc tariffs for those sectors can be expected soon, as the Trump administration considers them key contributors to the trade deficit.
Washington’s new tariff plan has led to a downward revision of EU GDP growth projections for 2026 from 1.4% to 1%, as several EU Member States have seen a rise in their dependency on exports to the US in recent years. For instance, in Germany, the most recent estimates from March signal a 0.2% growth in 2025, 50% lower than the initially foreseen 0.4%.
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