Tariff panic pushes Belgian exports to US to record levels
In March, the US imported goods from Belgium worth almost 3.4 billion dollars. That is 46 per cent more than a year earlier and more than double the February figure, De Tijd reports, citing figures from the US Bureau of Economic Analysis.
President Donald Trump's import tariffs have triggered an immense trade rush towards the US. Threats and uncertainty in the run-up to Trump's "Liberation Day" at the beginning of April led companies to stock up on goods in the US in March, including from Belgium.
The value of Belgian products imported by the US was never higher than in the final weeks before Trump's tariffs were announced, according to figures from the US Bureau of Economic Analysis. The US imported nearly 3.4 billion dollars worth of goods in March, double the amount imported in February and up 46 per cent year-on-year.
Imports from the EU as a whole rose even higher, according to the figures. The US imported 83.7 billion dollars worth of European goods in March 2025, up 66 per cent from a year earlier and 54 per cent from February. Ireland's exports, for example, were up 285 per cent year-on-year.
Companies are now bracing for the next wave of tariffs. Trump said this week that duties on pharmaceuticals would be announced within two weeks. This would be a major blow for Belgium: in terms of value, the pharmaceutical sector represents the country's largest share of exports, a quarter of which go to the US.
It remains to be seen whether the imminent tariffs will be implemented as planned. With the exception of China, the tariffs announced on "Liberation Day" were put on hold for 90 days to facilitate negotiations.
© PHOTO NICOLAS TUCAT / AFP
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