EU will not back down on tariffs: “Ready for whatever comes”

Brussels – No second thoughts, no backing down: on the issue of tariffs, the EU is forging ahead and is not afraid to engage in an open trade war. As the European Commission spokesman in charge of trade issues, Olof Gill, explains, the EU is not afraid of US President Donald Trump’s threats to impose additional tariffs on Europe if the EU does not suspend counter-tariffs: “We are ready for whatever may happen. We have been ready for over a year.”

The European Union offers the possibility of a shared solution as long as there are steps back. “We urge the United States to immediately lift the decreed tariffs and start negotiations to avoid new tariffs in the future,” Gill told the Trump administration on behalf of the European Commission. The stance of the von der Leyen team does not change: it believes that the tariff war “is a solution in which everyone loses.” Conversely, “we want to focus on mutually beneficial formulas,” i.e., negotiated solutions.

Brussels also criticizes Trump and his narrative, considered almost fake news. “The EU is not part of the problem” when it comes to steel, the spokesman continues. “To claim that the EU is part of the problem is misleading,” a  “the problem is global overcapacity, and the EU can work with the US to find a solution.” In this debate, which turned into a show of strength, the EU is “engaged with the European steel sector,” Gill concludes.

The EU does not intend to back down: “We are ready for the potential consequences of the regrettable decisions taken by the United States.” Thus, the Commission is ready for a trade confrontation with the Trump administration.