EU awaits Trump on tariffs: ‘So far, only statements. We will respond to official notifications’

Brussels – The European Union awaits the United States and its president, Donald Trump. The EU executive chooses the line of silence on the threat of tariffs against EU assets. “We will not respond to broad announcements without details or written clarification,” explains the official statement issued in Brussels. “At this stage, we have not received any official notification regarding the imposition of additional tariffs on EU goods,” in the absence of any other notification.

There will be an answer if and when the time comes, as clearly pointed out Olof Gill, spokesperson responsible for Trade. “We are still talking about threats, there is nothing concrete, no duties have been imposed yet”. For such a reason, he added, the EU executive’s line is to avoid focusing on a topic shrouded in too many question marks. Certainly, Gill acknowledged, any tariffs “would call into question long-standing relations between partners”. Without prejudice, he went on, to the fact that with duties on EU products “the United States would tax its own citizens, increasing costs for businesses and fueling inflation”.

The European Commission reiterates that in any case “we will react to protect the interests of European businesses, workers, and consumers from unjustified measures.” In this regard, the von der Leyen team stresses that in light of the announcements without accompanying documents and as recounted through public statements, “The EU sees no justification for the imposition of tariffs on its exports,” not least because the trade balance is not as unbalanced as the White House claims. 

According to the European Commission, the EU has a €154 billion trade surplus in goods with the US. The United States maintains a 104 billion euro surplus in services with the EU, resulting in an overall EU trade surplus of three percent on a total trade flow of €1.5 trillion. In 2023, the US was the largest export partner for EU goods and the second-largest import partner for EU goods.

English version by the Translation Service of Withub