BRUSSELS: The European Commission is drafting a list of products upon which it could impose heavy taxes to send “a political message” to Donald Trump if the US president follows through on plans to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum, a European source said yesterday.
“There will be steel and aluminum products, but also industrial, agricultural and food products as well,” said the source, who added Europe is “ready to act once there is specific confirmation” from Washington.
Trump triggered a furor on Thursday by announcing he would set tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum to protect US producers as soon as next week.
He did not specify if the tariffs would target specific countries.
The announcement has sparked an outcry among US allies such as Canada, the EU, Mexico and Australia as well as China, the world’s biggest steel producer.
There has been speculation that the EU could target for retaliation products made in states that heavily supported Trump in the presidential election, like Kentucky bourbon and Florida oranges.
The source, who works at the commission, said these products could end up being among those targeted, but that the list has not yet been finalized.
“You have to find a good balance between the political message sent to Trump and the products which we have a need for,” said the source, who added the countermeasures would be taken in conformity with World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.
In 2002, the EU threatened to tax a range of US products as part of a “steel war” unleashed by the administration of George W. Bush.
The list included not just steel products but also orange juice, apples, sunglasses, photocopiers and other goods.
The US backed down before the EU carried out its threat to impose the retaliatory measures.
EU drafts list of US goods to target over new tariffs
EU drafts list of US goods to target over new tariffs
Amazon to invest $12bn in data centers to expand AI, cloud capacity
RIYADH: US technology giant Amazon plans to invest $12 billion to build multiple data center campuses in northwest Louisiana, expanding infrastructure to support artificial intelligence and cloud computing.
The development, spanning Caddo and Bossier Parishes, will support Amazon Web Services’ cloud computing operations and growing demand for AI infrastructure, according to a company statement.
The announcement comes as the global data center sector is projected to expand at a 14 percent compound annual growth rate through 2030, according to JLL’s Data Center Outlook report, adding nearly 100 gigawatts of new capacity worldwide between 2026 and 2030 and effectively doubling current global capacity.
David Zapolsky, Amazon’s chief global affairs and legal officer, said the project would build next-generation data center campuses to support artificial intelligence and cloud computing while creating opportunities for local communities.
“We’re creating hundreds of high-paying jobs and making substantial investments in local infrastructure to serve customers. We’re grateful for our strong partnerships with local leaders and proud to deepen our commitment to Louisiana,” he added.
The campuses are expected to create 540 direct jobs, including network specialists, operations managers and engineers, along with an estimated 1,710 indirect roles across the regional economy. Construction activity could support up to 1,500 temporary jobs, the company said.
Amazon is partnering with STACK Infrastructure on the project, and the company said it will self-fund the energy infrastructure required for the project, working with Southwestern Electric Power Co. to cover the full cost of grid upgrades and new power facilities.
Sustainability features are built into the design, with the company saying the data centers will use verified surplus water for cooling during peak summer periods and outside air cooling for about 87 percent of the year, helping reduce electricity demand by 25 percent to 35 percent during peak grid loads.
The announcement comes after Pamela MacDougall, Amazon Web Services’ head of energy markets and regulation in Europe, Middle East, and Africa, told Reuters long delays to get power grid connections are challenging the company’s plans to expand data centers in Europe.
Speaking earlier in February, MacDougall said connecting to the transmission network in Europe can take up to seven years - versus the roughly two years it can take to develop a data center, she said.
In the US connection queues average one to three years, according to the International Energy Agency, although they can sometimes also stretch to seven years.
"And we're finding more and more across Europe that certainty of the delivery date has continued to be delayed," she said in an interview.
