The EU "will stand together" and is ready to respond to US tariffs on EU goods. This was stated by the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen during a press conference shown on the social media X early Thursday morning.
- We are ready to respond. We are already finalizing the first responses to the tariffs on steel and aluminum. We are now preparing further responses to protect our interests, says the Commission President.
On Wednesday evening, US President Donald Trump announced a 20 percent tariff on imports of EU goods. Von der Leyen says that the new tariffs from the US are "a major blow to the global economy".
- The consequences will be terrible for millions of people around the world. All companies will suffer, she says and elaborates:
- I know that many of you feel let down by our oldest ally. We must prepare for the consequences that this will inevitably have, says von der Leyen, who says "there seems to be no order in the chaos".
She also stresses that the EU will "stand on the side of those directly affected".
- Europe stands together - for business, for citizens and for all Europeans. We will continue to build bridges to all those who, like us, are committed to fair and rules-based trade as a basis for prosperity.
Von der Leyen agrees with Trump that some are "unfairly exploiting the current rules".
- I am ready to support any effort to make the global trading system fit for the reality of the global economy. But I also want to make it clear that resorting to tariffs as a first and last resort will not solve the problem, says the Commission President, adding:
- That is why we have always been ready to negotiate with the US from the start to remove barriers to transatlantic trade, says the Commission President.
The President of the EU, Antonio Costa, wrote in a post on X on Thursday morning that he fully supports the EU Commission's negotiations with the US. He added that the EU will continue to strengthen and expand its trade network.
- It is time to ratify the agreements with Mercosur and Mexico and make decisive progress in the negotiations with India and other key partners, he wrote.
EU negotiators and the four South American Mercosur countries reached a trade agreement in December after many years of negotiations. Before the trade agreement can finally enter into force, it must be adopted by the EU member states and the EU Parliament. The tariffs on EU goods will take effect on April 9, Trump said. A base tariff of 10 percent on all other countries - except Russia - will take effect on April 5.
Russia is exempt because the United States "does not trade with the United States," US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News.
Updated April 3, 2025 at 8:15 a.m.
jel /ritzau/
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