European Union countries on Thursday unanimously endorsed a plan to impose import duties on $3.3 billion worth of US products in response to Washington's tariffs on steel and aluminium imports, EU sources said.

"Member states have today unanimously supported the commission's plan for the adoption of rebalancing measures on the U.S. tariffs," a European Commission source told AFP, adding that they would be implemented "in coming days."

The measures still need to be adopted by the European Commission, whose next scheduled meeting is June 20. These retaliatory tariffs against the U.S.s' duties should be in place by late June or early July.

The EU's list of products targeted for tariffs include American exports from blue jeans to motorbikes and whiskey.

Canada has announced it will impose retaliatory tariffs on $12.9 billion worth of U.S. exports from July 1. Mexico put tariffs on American products ranging from pork apples, grapes, cheeses and flat steel, among other products.

U.S. President Donald Trump made steel from the European Union, Canada and Mexico subject to 25 percent tariffs and aluminum to 10 percent at the start of June, ending exemptions that had been in place since March when he had first announced his intention to tax steel and aluminium imports.

The European Commission has also filed a legal challenge against the U.S.’s tariffs at the World Trade Organization. It is also assessing the need for measures to prevent a surge of imports of steel and aluminum into Europe as non-EU exporters divert product initially bound for the United States.

The U.S. wants to penalise China, the world's largest steel producer, to reduce supply through tariffs; but China accounts for only 2.4 percent of U.S. steel imports, and both the U.S. and the EU have already slapped punitive tariffs that raise the cost of Chinese steel imports.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 15, 2018 08:25 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).