As the date of August 1 is approaching, the anxiety about the percentage of duties decided to impose on the EU by US President Donald Trump is peaking.

Donald Trump implied on Wednesday that he would not fall below 15%, and in some cases he would reach 50%, Bloomberg notes.

From 15% -50% duties

“We will have a simple, clear tariff rate between 15% and 50%,” Trump told a summit for artificial intelligence in Washington. “Some of the duties will be 50%because we do not have very good relations with these countries,” he said.

Trump’s statement that duties will start at 15% represents the latest overthrow in his attempt to impose duties on almost all US trade partners and is the latest indication that Trump seeks to impose duties more aggressively on exports from countries outside the small team that has so far been traded.

Earlier this month, Trump said more than 150 countries will receive a letter including a tariff rate “probably 10 or 15%, we haven’t decided yet”. Howard Lutnik Commerce Minister told CBS News on Sunday that small countries, such as “Latin America countries, the Caribbean countries and many African countries”, will have a 10%key duty. And during the first announcement of the duties in April, Trump revealed a 10% universal tariff rate for almost all countries.

While Trump and his advisers initially expressed the hope of securing multiple agreements, the president has promoted the letters himself on duties as “agreements” and implied that he is not interested in endless negotiations. However, it has left open the possibility of some countries to conclude agreements that could reduce these rates.

On Tuesday, Trump announced that it would reduce the 25% duty that had threatened to impose 15% on Japan, in exchange for lifting the country’s restrictions on some US products, as well as the support of a $ 550 billion investment fund.

The White House has also discussed a similar fund with South Korea, a country that also focuses on achieving a 15%rate. And the Philippines are aiming to reduce their own tariff rate to a 15% level from current 19%, according to US ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez.

Meanwhile, Vietnam officials estimate that its exports to the US could be reduced by one third if the highest duties announced by Trump.

Other countries, including India and members of the European Union, are still pushing to reach agreements before increased duties.

On Wednesday, Trump said he would “implement a very, very simple duty for some countries” because there are so many countries that “you cannot negotiate agreements with all”. He also said that talks with the European Union are “serious”.