The EU Commission has come up with a tough but proportionate response to Trump's tariffs on European goods. This is what Denmark's EU Commissioner, Dan Jørgensen, says to Ritzau.
- This is not a situation we wanted from the European side, because we believe that tariffs harm both sides of the Atlantic. But when we are hit in Europe by such an attack from the US, we will of course respond in return, says Dan Jørgensen.
A similar message comes from Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen (M).
- It is not our choice. But we are prepared for robust and proportionate responses to the American measures. We must not escalate the situation, but it is important to stand against it, says Lars Løkke Rasmussen in a written comment.
The specific elements of the proposal from the EU Commission must now be discussed in more detail between the EU countries and the Commission, states Løkke.
- It is central that the EU stands together in handling the American measures. This makes us much stronger both in relation to a joint response and when solutions are hopefully to be found at some point, says Løkke.
Tariffs for 194 billion kr.
The announcements come after the EU Commission presented a response to American tariffs on steel and aluminum early Wednesday by imposing tariffs on goods from the United States for 26 billion euros. The value corresponds to almost 194 billion kr.
- The EU is of course reacting harshly to the irrational and completely unnecessary introduction of tariffs on European products that the Americans are introducing. We will do this with a proportional countermeasure. It will correspond to a value of 26 billion euros. This is equivalent to the 28 billion dollars that they have imposed tariffs on us in Europe, says Dan Jørgensen.
The Commission has published a 99-page list of goods that can now be subject to tariffs. The majority of the goods on the list are within the categories of poultry, fruit, vegetables and alcohol. Larger goods on the list are construction machinery, snowplows and motorcycles.
In addition, the duties could affect chewing gum, electronic cigarettes or "vapes", wafers and negligees, which are nightgowns that are often made of thin or transparent fabric.
- We have selected some product groups that are suitable for imposing tariffs and which of course have a certain importance for the USA. So our response can be felt quite strongly on the other side of the Atlantic, says Dan Jørgensen.
Do not want a trade war
Question: Did you deliberately seek to hit Trump's heartland in the USA with the goods you have selected?
- It is a mixture of a wide range of different conditions that we have had skilled officials calculate. We have heard the signals from the USA over a period of time, so we were of course ready to respond again. These are different product groups that will hit broadly in the USA, says Dan Jørgensen.
He emphasizes that the EU does not want a trade war with the USA.
- We are very open to whether solutions can be found. Because we do not believe that this is beneficial to either the EU or the USA. Now we are sending a strong signal from our side to President Trump and the Americans that when they introduce harmful measures, they will also receive a very firm response from our side. The EU stands together when we are under pressure, says Dan Jørgensen.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has previously suggested that the conflict could perhaps be resolved by the EU buying more from the US. For example, LNG gas to offset the US's trade deficit with the EU.
However, it is too early to assess whether this could be the way to avoid a trade war, says Dan Jørgensen.
- We are not ruling anything out in principle. But it is a somewhat special situation that we are in. Because we have never intended not to trade much with the US. We are already major trading partners. So we very much hope that we can resume that trade. Because it could be damaged by tariffs being imposed on goods, says Dan Jørgensen.
/ritzau/
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