Trump pushes new forced‑labour tariff plan targeting EU and other partners

U.S. President Donald Trump is advancing a new trade proposal that would impose tariffs on imports made with forced labour. The plan, presented after a May 20 meeting with the European Union, would allow the United States to levy up to a 12.5 % surcharge on goods from the EU and could affect as many as 60 countries worldwide. It revives a 1974 trade law and includes a sunset clause that would keep the agreement in force until the end of 2029, with the possibility of extension, as well as a protection clause that lets the EU suspend the deal if the United States maintains higher tariffs on aluminium and steel after Dec. 31.

The European Parliament and Council are expected to vote on the arrangement in mid‑June. Critics, including the Washington Post, argue that the forced‑labour justification is a pretext for broader protectionism and warn that the measure could strain trans‑Atlantic trade relations. No formal tariff has been enacted yet, but the proposal signals Trump’s continued commitment to a hard‑line trade agenda.