The list of US tariffs on European products is getting longer, but the European Commission “will continue to seek negotiated solutions”, assured the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on Wednesday 26 March. Her comments came just minutes after US President Donald Trump announced the imposition of a 25% customs duty on all vehicles imported into the United States from 3 April. He also promised that additional measures would follow on car parts.
The more Washington targets European exports, the greater the need to negotiate a settlement rather than retaliate with tariffs, to avoid serious economic consequences. Customs duties “will add costs and could have a negative impact on existing investments on both sides of the Atlantic”, stresses the Director General of BusinessEurope, Markus Beyrer, who is calling for all recently introduced customs duties to be abolished.
The European Commission hears this message, but cannot leave tariffs unanswered. “We don’t want to have to levy countermeasures on US imports into the EU, it does no good to us. But we’ll prepare ourselves for a firm, proportionate, well-calibrated response”, said European Commission Spokesperson for Trade, Olof Gill, on Thursday 27 March.
The Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade, Bernd Lange (S&D, German), also called for a firm response: “Our countermeasures on steel and aluminium will not suffice. If the US illegally attacks our core economic interests, the EU should put tariffs on digital services on which the US has a huge surplus, on the table, with the ultimate aim of getting to a negotiated outcome”. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)