European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc will respond if Donald Trump follows through on his threat to impose global reciprocal tariffs, calling them a “step in the wrong direction”.
The European Union is still waiting to learn the details of Trump’s proposal, for which he set an April 1 deadline. Trump cited barriers in the EU, including a value-added tax, as an example of the unfair trading rules that the US is looking to respond to.
“The EU will react firmly and immediately against unjustified barriers to free and fair trade, including when tariffs are used to challenge legal and non-discriminatory policies,” von der Leyen said Friday in a statement.
She added, “Tariffs are taxes. By imposing tariffs, the US is taxing its own citizens, raising costs for business, stifling growth and fueling inflation.”
The EU has been struggling to open lines of communication to the new Trump White House. Von der Leyen met Vice President JD Vance briefly in Paris earlier this week. And the bloc’s trade chief, Maros Sefcovic, had an opening call with several leaders of Trump’s trade team.
On Thursday, Trump also told reporters that he would enact import taxes on cars, semiconductors and pharmaceuticals “over and above” the reciprocal tariffs at a later date.
Credit: The Edge Malaysia