The EU responds to Trump’s threats of car tariffs: “All options are on the table”

Brussels – The latest threats from US President Donald Trump to raise tariffs on European cars to 25 per cent? On this side of the Atlantic nothing has changed and the European Union remains committed to the agreement reached last July in Scotland. This is the stance Brussels has been maintaining with Washington for the past year: calm and dialogue, rather than blunt responses and a breakdown in relations. “As far as we are concerned, this ‘announcement by the tycoon’  has changed nothing. Why? Because we are the most reliable partner in the world. When you sign an agreement with the EU, you know that this is what you will get. That is why, from day one, we have been implementing the joint statement and are fully committed to honouring our shared commitments,” said European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier at today’s (4 May) press briefing. 

On 1 May, US President Donald Trump stated on his social media channels that tariffs on European cars and lorries imported into the United States would rise to 25 per cent. “The European Union is not honouring our trade agreement,” he added, specifying that this would not apply to vehicles manufactured in US factories. But the Europeans seem unwilling to follow the White House occupant down his path. They remain committed to 27 July 2025, when the EU and the US signed a joint declaration that aimed to restore stability following the trade tensions caused by the tariff war initiated by the tycoon, introducing a 15 per cent tariff on the majority of EU exports, including cars. 

“This is not the first time we have witnessed threats. This is not the first time we have said that we remain very calm, focused on implementing the joint declaration in the interests of our businesses and our citizens,” Regnier pointed out. But, at the same time, he noted that all options for an EU response remain on the table. “All options are on the table”, and “when we say that all options are on the table, we mean every single option. Why won’t I dwell on this point? Simply because we will not engage in speculative threats that have not materialised. We are focusing on implementation: we have ensured the stability and consistent implementation of the joint statement, we will continue to do so, and we will not escalate threats,” he noted. 

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has not yet commented on Trump’s latest threats. “The EU is being slapped in the face by Trump and is not reacting. From Yerevan, where she is attending the European Political Community meeting, Ursula von der Leyen has decided not to comment,” denounced Danilo Della Valle, MEP for the Five Star Movement (The Left). “This submissive attitude does not pay off; on the contrary, it is an open invitation to Trump, who continues to treat us as if we were his colony,” he continued. 

Meanwhile, work between the two sides continues, and tomorrow, in Paris, the European Commissioner for Trade, Maroš Šefčovič, who negotiated the July agreement on behalf of the EU, will meet the United States Trade Representative, Jamieson Greer.