US President Donald Trump announced last night the introduction of new tariffs on imports from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, local and international media reported. Customs rates of 30% for goods from Bosnia and Herzegovina and 35% for those from Serbia will come into effect from August 1, BTA reports.
The new rates are lower than those already announced in April, when Trump planned tariffs of 35% for Bosnia and 37% for Serbia, but postponed their entry into force by 90 days. According to Radio Free Europe, the current adjustment aims to balance Washington's political and economic interests.
The measure was announced in official letters to the leaders of the affected countries, including Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Bosnia's three-member presidency chair Zeljka Cvijanovic. According to the Associated Press, the original letter to Cvijanovic contained a technical error in the address (“Mr. President“), which was later corrected.
In the letters, Trump calls on the countries concerned to join the “exceptional economy of the United States, which is unquestionably number one in the world“. He justified the decision with the need to end “long-term and persistent trade deficits caused by tariff, non-tariff, political and trade barriers“.
In the message to the Serbian president, Trump warned that if Serbia decides to increase its tariffs on American goods, the additional percentage will be added to the already imposed 35%.
In addition to the Balkans, the US president announced new customs duties for other countries through a post on his own Truth Social platform. The list includes Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Kazakhstan (25%), South Africa (30%), Indonesia (32%), Bangladesh (35%), Cambodia and Thailand (36%), as well as Laos and Myanmar (40%).