The U.S. has threatened 17% tariffs on European Union agricultural exports as a Wednesday deadline loomed, an eleventh-hour move that EU officials have characterized as an escalation of the trade dispute between the parties.
Such tariffs would hit items such as Belgian chocolate, Kerrygold butter from Ireland, and olive oil from Italy, Spain. and France, all big sellers in the U.S., The Guardian reported Friday.
President Donald Trump imposed a 20% reciprocal tariff on the EU in April, part of his broader "Liberation Day" reciprocal tariffs imposed on dozens of U.S. trading partners. But Trump reduced all of the reciprocal tariffs to a baseline of 10%, initiating a 90-day deadline to allow countries to negotiate a better deal.
Until recently, EU officials had been expecting that negotiations with the U.S. would hold tariffs at the baseline rate, the Financial Times reported Friday. It was unknown whether the 17% tariffs on agricultural imports would be in addition to other tariffs or instead of them.
Trump has demanded that the EU give American companies wide-ranging exemptions from regulations and cut its trade surplus with the U.S., the Times reported, but EU officials have rejected the administration's latest proposals on any such exemptions and food tariffs.
The value of EU agri-food exports to the U.S., including products such as wine, totaled $56 billion last year.
An EU official told the Times the 27-nation bloc is seeking exclusions for aircraft parts and spirits such as wine, adding although the sides were working on a five-page draft "agreement in principle," it is short on agreed-upon text.
EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič was alerted of the proposed 17% tariffs on Thursday at meetings in Washington with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The 27 member-state ambassadors were informed Friday.
Šefčovič has repeatedly characterized the changing of EU regulations to suit the U.S. as a red line, but the EU is also on a deregulatory drive, weakening some environmental laws, the Times reported.
"Wrapping up a productive week of work in Washington, DC," Šefčovič wrote Friday in a post on X. "It was good to meet with @USTradeRep @jamiesongreer, Secretary @howardlutnick, and @SecScottBessent. Heading back to Brussels – the work continues. Our goal remains unchanged: a good and ambitious transatlantic trade deal."
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Thursday that she hoped for an agreement in principle to allow the sides to keep talking pending a final deal, the Times reported. But the White House is pushing countries to agree to binding deals by the Wednesday deadline.
Trump announced Thursday his administration will write to about a dozen countries to tell them he will impose permanent tariffs of up to 70% after Wednesday.
"They'll range in value from maybe 60% or 70% to 10% and 20% but they [the letters] are going to be starting to go out sometime tomorrow," he said, according to The Guardian.
Two EU diplomats told the Times they had been told the U.S. sketched out three scenarios for Wednesday's deadline:
Countries with an "agreement in principle" would keep the 10% tariffs, with possible further tariff relief at a later stage.
For countries that did not reach such an agreement, the tariffs would return to the level announced in April until a deal was struck.
Higher tariffs would be applied to countries that the U.S. believes are not negotiating in good faith.
A commission spokesperson told the Times: "The EU position has been clear from the outset: We favor a negotiated solution with the U.S., and this remains our priority. … At the same time, we are preparing for the possibility that no satisfactory agreement is reached."
Newsmax has reached out to the White House for comment.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.