The European Union is preparing to impose tariffs on Boeing aircraft and American-made cars as part of a sweeping response to the Trump administration’s levies on imports from the Continent if ongoing trade talks fail to ease mounting transatlantic tensions, according to reports.
The planned tariffs would target about $114 billion worth of American goods, a person with knowledge of the talks told Bloomberg News.
The list of products, which includes aerospace imports, is expected to be circulated among EU member states this week and may be revised during a month-long consultation process.
A surcharge on Boeing planes would serve as a retaliatory measure in response to tariffs imposed by the United States on Airbus SE, the EU’s flagship aircraft manufacturer.
The EU sees the move as a way to level the playing field between the two aerospace giants.
“Europe is in negotiations, and if these negotiations do not lead to a positive outcome, I imagine that — and this is what we hope for — reciprocal tariffs on aircrafts will be imposed,” Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said at an event in Paris earlier this week.
Boeing, America’s largest manufacturing exporter by dollar value, finds itself increasingly vulnerable as it becomes entangled in a broader trade standoff initiated by President Donald Trump.
Last month, Trump imposed sweeping levies on European exports, including a 25% tariff on cars and metals and a universal tariff initially set at 20% — later reduced to 10% until July — covering nearly all EU goods.
The European Commission, which oversees trade policy for the bloc, has been in continuous talks with Trump administration officials but so far has made little progress.
Officials in Brussels believe the tariffs could eventually cover as much as $599 billion worth of EU exports — representing 97% of all goods sent to the US, according to a statement released on Tuesday.
A spokesperson for the European Commission declined to comment on the proposed tariffs, and Boeing did not respond to a request for comment.
The Post has sought comment from the White House.
Shares of the Boeing were little changed after the opening bell on Wall Street on Wednesday.
“We are fully engaged in discussions with the US and a negotiated solution remains our clear and preferred outcome,” Olof Gill, a spokesperson for the European Commission, told The Post.
“At the same time, we are preparing for the possibility that no agreement is reached with the US,” Gill said, adding: “We prepare for all scenarios; all options are on the table.”
Gill declined to comment on details of ongoing discussions.
Boeing’s exposure to transatlantic tariffs could have serious implications for its business.
In 2023, aerospace exports from the US to the EU totaled $35.3 billion, according to commission data.
Key European buyers include Air France-KLM and Deutsche Lufthansa AG.
Amid the trade uncertainty, several carriers have already warned they may reject delivery of aircraft subject to additional fees.
Among the most vocal is Ryanair Holdings, Boeing’s largest customer in Europe.
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary warned in a letter to a US lawmaker last week that the airline may cancel its $33 billion order if tariffs render Boeing jets too costly.
A Ryanair spokeswoman declined to comment on the potential EU action.
Under a 1979 World Trade Organization agreement, commercial aircraft and their parts have traditionally been exempt from duties.
However, that long-standing stability was shaken during the Trump administration, which saw tit-for-tat tariffs emerge from a prolonged Boeing-Airbus subsidy dispute.
Those levies were eventually suspended in 2021.
The European Commission is expected to present a formal proposal to Washington later this week in a last-ditch effort to restart negotiations.
The document is anticipated to include offers to reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers and to encourage EU investment in the US economy.
