BRUSSELS, April 7 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) on Monday proposed a 25 percent tariff on select U.S. products in response to President Donald Trump's recent decision to impose duties on European steel and aluminum, reported Reuters and Bloomberg, citing an internal document shared with EU member states.
Part of the retaliatory tariffs is set to take effect on May 16, according to Reuters.
The goods are wide-ranging and include diamonds, eggs, dental floss, sausages and poultry. Items previously under consideration, namely, bourbon, wine, and dairy, have been removed from the final list, reported Reuters.
Earlier on Monday, European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic confirmed that a list of countermeasures would be circulated to EU member states. A vote on the first set of retaliatory measures is scheduled for April 9, with implementation expected on April 15.
While saying the EU's preference for negotiation, Sefcovic emphasized the bloc's readiness to deploy "every tool" to shield itself from the impact of U.S. tariffs should talks break down.
"We are prepared to use every tool in our trade defense arsenal to protect the EU single market, EU producers, and EU consumers," he said.
