U.S.-EU tariff negotiations hopeless? EU: Ready to retaliate with "€100 billion" in tariffs, will use ACI tools if talks break down.

The reciprocal tariffs imposed by U.S. President Trump will take effect on August 1, but negotiations with the European Union remain stalled. In response, the EU is prepared to impose a 30% retaliatory tariff on U.S. goods worth hundreds of billions of euros, with a trade war imminent! (Background: Trump’s tariffs are a windfall? U.S. tariff revenue soared to $87.2 billion in the first half of the year, skyrocketing fourfold in June, projected to reach $300 billion for the year) (Context: Trump threatens the EU: 17% tariffs on agricultural products and wine! Officials admit trade negotiations have "not broken through") U.S. President Trump had previously postponed the effective date of the reciprocal tariffs to August 1, allowing more time for negotiations between the U.S. and other countries. However, as July comes to a close, many countries still have not reached a final agreement with the U.S., and trade tensions are escalating once again. In this context, according to a report from Bloomberg, EU insiders revealed that if no agreement is reached with the U.S. by August 1 and Trump follows through on his tariff threats, imposing a 30% tariff on most EU export goods, the EU is ready to respond swiftly, planning to apply a 30% tariff on U.S. goods valued at approximately €100 billion (about $117 billion) as a retaliatory measure. The EU’s countermeasures As the first wave of corresponding measures, the EU will combine the approved tariff list targeting $21 billion of U.S. goods with a previously proposed list targeting an additional $72 billion of U.S. goods to form a complete retaliatory plan. An EU Commission spokesperson stated on Wednesday that industrial products such as Boeing aircraft, U.S.-made cars, and bourbon whiskey will become targets for EU tariffs, with the tariff rate matching Trump’s 30% tariff. Insiders added that these tariffs are set to take effect next month, provided that the U.S.-EU negotiations break down and the U.S. formally implements its tariff measures after the August deadline. The EU plans to invoke the ACI tool for countermeasures Additionally, a German government official revealed anonymously that if the negotiations ultimately yield no results, Berlin is even willing to support the activation of the EU's "Anti-Coercion Instrument" (ACI) to counter the U.S. The ACI is the EU's most powerful trade weapon, primarily serving as a deterrent and will only be activated if negotiations fail completely. The ACI allows the EU to take broad retaliatory actions, such as imposing new taxes on U.S. tech giants, restricting U.S. investment, or limiting U.S. companies' access to the EU market. However, currently, activating the ACI requires the support of a majority of member states and is not on the negotiation table. In this context, German Chancellor Merkel, after meeting with Czech Prime Minister Fiala in Berlin on Tuesday, told reporters: "We are approaching a critical moment in the U.S. tariff dispute. We need a fair, reliable, and low-tariff agreement. If no consensus can be reached, we will face economic uncertainty, which is the last thing we want to see." EU officials: U.S. and EU are moving towards a potential trade agreement However, this morning (24), EU officials pointed out that the U.S. and EU are moving toward a potential trade agreement, with the U.S. proposing a baseline tariff of 15% for the EU and possibly reaching exemptions for certain EU products. Nevertheless, the EU will still proceed with voting on retaliatory tariff measures against nearly €100 billion on Thursday local time. Related reports: U.S. June CPI hits a record high this year! Tariff effects emerge, The Federal Reserve (FED) to watch and wait for rate cuts, Bitcoin briefly fell below $116,000. Trump threatens Russia: If the Russia-Ukraine conflict does not cease fire within 50 days, the U.S. will implement a 100% "secondary tariff"! Trump calls for a 50% tariff on imported copper and up to 200% on pharmaceuticals! Copper prices hit an all-time high <Is there no hope for U.S.-EU tariff negotiations? EU: Prepared for "hundreds of billions of euros" in retaliatory tariffs, will activate the ACI tool if negotiations break down> This article was originally published in BlockTempo, the most influential Blockchain news media.