EU threatens to target US cars, planes if Trump tariff talks fail

The EU on Thursday threatened to target US cars and planes among a raft of products worth 95 billion euros ($107 billion) if negotiations with President Donald Trump's team fail to avert a trade war.

The European Commission said it would, in parallel, file a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) over Trump's imposition of swingeing tariffs against the bloc.

The US leader announced a 20-percent "reciprocal" tariff on most EU goods in April, but he then froze the measure until July, along with higher duties on dozens of other nations.

Trump, however, maintained a "baseline" 10 percent tariff on imports from around the world, including the 27-nation European Union.

The EU wants to strike a deal with the United States to prevent an all-out trade war, but is preparing its retaliation should Trump's tariffs kick in again.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen reiterated the bloc's determination to reach a negotiated solution and avoid painful tariffs on both sides.

"The EU remains fully committed to finding negotiated outcomes with the US. We believe there are good deals to be made for the benefit of consumers and businesses on both sides of the Atlantic," she said.

Trump has also rolled out 25-percent tariffs on imports of steel, aluminium and cars.

Brussels cooked up a first list of products to target worth 21 billion euros in response to the steel and aluminium duties, but it has paused those retaliatory tariffs until July 14 to give time for negotiations.

The much larger list unveiled on Thursday -- the bloc's proposed response to Trump's so-called "reciprocal tariffs" -- is designed to up the pressure on the US side to reach a deal.

There will be some hope of an agreement after Trump on Thursday announced a deal with Britain on trade, which would be the first such accord since he launched his tariffs blitz.