The head of European Union diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, stated that Brussels will demand clarifications from Washington regarding the imposition of new tariffs, which have become an 'unpleasant surprise' for the EU.
According to Armenpress, she made this statement in an interview with Reuters during meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Manila.
Earlier, the US decided to impose tariffs on 60 countries, including EU member states, citing the fight against forced labor. The tariffs will range from 10 to 12.5 percent.
Kallas noted that such actions were not anticipated in the EU. She stated that the EU will seek clarifications from the US. She emphasized that the Union has upheld its commitments under the transatlantic trade agreement signed in 2025.
“We had an agreement with America, and we were adhering to that agreement…. That is why it came as an unpleasant surprise for us that this agreement is not being upheld,” Kallas said.
Additionally, she pointed out that the new restrictions are unfounded. According to Kallas, European labor legislation is better than the American one, and in EU countries, “there is paid leave, and there are good working conditions.”
The tariffs came into effect on July 24 at 00:01 Eastern Time (08:01 Yerevan time). For goods currently in transit, the implementation of the new tariffs has been postponed until July 28.
