The Trump Administration increases tariffs for a dozen countries and changes the deadline to August 7

The White House on Thursday released a list of new tariffs that will apply to exports from dozens of nations around the world, also announcing that the date they will take effect will be Aug. 7 instead of the first of the month. Many of the countries adjusted their rates from April levels to lower tariffs of 15%. Some countries, such as Switzerland or New Zealand, and African nations, such as Cameroon or Chad, instead saw an increase in their tariffs.

The new tariff rates range from 10% to 41%, with the highest for Syria, while nations such as the European Union (EU), Japan, and South Korea will be subject to 15%. Similarly, the White House increased to 15% the surcharges for Costa Rica, Bolivia, and Ecuador, while keeping intact those planned in April for Venezuela at 15% and Nicaragua at 18%.

One of the most significant cases is Canada, on which President Donald Trump signed an executive order to officially increase tariffs on its products from 25% to 35%. "In response to Canada's continued inaction and retaliation, President Trump has found it necessary to increase the tariff on Canada from 25% to 35% to effectively address the existing emergency," the White House said in a statement, in which it added that "Canada has failed to cooperate in curbing the ongoing flood of fentanyl and other illicit drugs, and it has retaliated against the United States" for previous tariffs imposed by Trump.

The White House detailed that the new tariffs will not affect products that comply with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement, also known as CUSMA. Numerous U.S. automakers, as well as other companies with integrated supply chains in North America, have been lobbying in recent months to materialize such an exception, which has allowed importers in the country to continue bringing in a good part of Canadian and Mexican products without paying duties.

In its statement, the White House mentioned that the Canadian government "failed to cooperate in curbing the ongoing flood of fentanyl" and also made reference to the implementation of retaliatory tariffs by Ottawa, which would not have been viewed favorably by Trump. Despite that comment, Republican administration data has shown in recent months that the amount of fentanyl seized at the Canadian border is minimal compared to the Mexican border.