Motorcycles, almonds, razors, sports shoes, and shampoo. It's a range of goods that fit on the 99-page long list that starts with breeding chickens and ends with hand-painted paintings.
The list was established as a response to the US tariffs on steel and aluminum presented in February.
For the EU, it's a balancing act to decide which goods or sectors to target. France and Germany want to flex their muscles, while Italy and Spain warn against an overly aggressive response.
We must try to keep a cool head, evaluate the impact, and avoid a policy of retaliatory tariffs that would be harmful to everyone, especially to us, said Italy's Finance Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti over the weekend.
From a Swedish perspective, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has said that he hopes Trump's move last week is a negotiating tactic, and that they should do everything to negotiate down all types of tariffs.
In the worst case, this is the beginning of something that many will call a trade war, he said to TT last week.
Tech Giants in the Crosshairs
One alternative could be to target American tech giants, such as cloud services, mobile phones, and digital stores, according to CNBC.
French Finance Minister Eric Lombard emphasized in an interview with JDD that the EU has several weapons at its disposal.
For example, we can strengthen certain environmental requirements or regulate the use of data for certain digital players, he says according to Bloomberg.
According to him, it's not about imposing tariffs on all American goods – as China has done. That would punish the EU's economy as much as the American one.
We will target specific industry segments, in a precise manner, he says.
More Expensive American Alcohol
A product category that covers several pages of the EU list is alcohol, including beer, white wine, and various spirits. Normally, alcohol suppliers can only adjust their prices twice a year at Systembolaget, next time in September.
"If new tariffs are introduced, it's possible that we offer suppliers who have goods affected an opportunity to make an additional price adjustment", writes Teodor Almqvist, press officer at Systembolaget, in an email to TT.
On Monday, the EU's trade ministers will meet in Luxembourg to discuss the response to the US tariffs.
The list is a total of 99 pages and covers a wide range of different goods that could be subject to tariffs. Here's a selection:
Horse meat, cheese, tomatoes, coffee, green tea, shrimp, chewing gum, nougat, soy, ice cream, cigarettes, perfume, soap, floor mats, bathtubs, caps, doors, suitcases, gloves, MDF boards, diaries and notebooks, coats and jackets, children's clothing, bed linen, rubber boots, crystal glass, diamonds, sapphires, and rubies, stoves, pocket knives, lawn mowers, hair dryers, microwave ovens, office furniture, and electric ceiling lights.
