Donald Trump announced new customs duties tonight, targeting Europe with 20% tariffs

Steph Deschamps / April 4, 2025

 

The American president calls April 2 “liberation day”, with the implementation of a stricter trade policy against the European Union and China, or in his opinion, in favor of the American economy. He is announcing very heavy tariffs of 34% on China and 20% on the EU, at the risk of undermining the international economy.

Donald Trump has trumpeted an “economic declaration of independence” and once again promised a “golden age”, while the Democratic opposition and many economists are predicting an immediate recessionary shock accompanied by an inflationary surge.

“For decades, our country has been plundered, ransacked, raped and devastated by nations near and far, allies and enemies alike,” he asserted, before producing a list of the trading partners involved on a chart he presented to the world's cameras, with each country's corresponding tariff.

The White House's offensive is based on a floor tariff of 10% on all imports, plus surtaxes for certain countries deemed particularly hostile to trade. For the time being, only Canada and Mexico are exempt from the basic tax of at least 10% applied to foreign products imported into the United States.

These surcharges are calculated to also reflect the so-called non-tariff barriers put in place by these countries to the entry of American products, such as sanitary regulations and environmental standards.

The bill is particularly heavy for China, whose products will be taxed at 34%, and the European Union, whose goods will be subject to 20% duties. Rates have been set at 24% for Japan, 26% for India and 31% for Switzerland.

 
A decree cancelling the exemption from customs duties for small packages sent from China was also signed. This mechanism had notably enabled Chinese e-commerce giants Shein and Temu to expand in the United States.
 

Until now, it provided tax exemption for all shipments with a content value of up to $800.

 
The tariffs will come into force in two stages: on April 5 at 04:01 GMT for tariffs of at least 10% on all products entering the United States, and on April 9 at 04:01 for increased tariffs targeting giants such as China and the European Union. Donald Trump assured us that this was a “gentle” form of reciprocity.

 
Donald Trump assured the nation that he would sign an executive order imposing “reciprocal tariffs” around the world. “It's our turn to prosper,” he insisted. “We're going to be able to make America greater than it's ever been. The jobs, the factories are going to come back to our country. We're going to have more domestic jobs. We're going to break down foreign trade barriers and we're going to have more competition, which is going to bring better prices for consumers.”

 
With these unprecedented 20% tariffs for the EU, the impact of these decisions could be phenomenal, and is bound to have an effect in Belgium. In 2024, U.S. imports reached some $3.3 trillion, an amount greater than France's Gross Domestic Product.