Italy has announced the EU's readiness to impose duties on €21 billion worth of US goods.

The European Union is ready to impose trade duties on €21 billion worth of American goods if no agreement is reached between Brussels and Washington. This was announced on July 14 by the head of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani.

"It is possible to reach an agreement in principle, as the UK has done, and in the coming months begin technical negotiations on individual trade sections," he said in an interview with Il Messaggero newspaper.

He added that in the absence of an agreement between the European Union and the United States, Europe is preparing to add a second package of duties to the existing one. At the moment, the amount of duties is €21 billion.

Tajani also expressed confidence that the parties will still be able to make progress. According to the minister, the duties negatively affect everyone, especially the United States. He stressed that in the event of a possible collapse of stock markets, their social sphere will suffer: pensions and savings of United States citizens will be at risk, therefore it is necessary to achieve "zero tariffs", as well as an open market between Canada, the United States, Mexico and Europe.

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On July 12, US President Donald Trump announced plans to impose 30 percent duties on exports from the European Union from August 1, 2025.

Bloomberg reported on June 25 that EU countries are preparing to take retaliatory measures if the United States imposes duties on goods from Europe. In addition, officials from the association expect that the United States will maintain some duties even after the end of trade negotiations. They are currently preparing a retaliatory list of tariffs on €95 billion worth of American goods.