The bloc will have no choice but to retaliate if Washington targets its goods, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned
The EU will be forced to implement “robust response” measures if the US imposes tariffs on the bloc’s exports, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned on Monday.
US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on the EU unless the bloc reduces its trade deficit with the US by significantly increasing purchases of American oil and gas. On Friday, Trump reiterated his threat, saying he “absolutely” plans to levy tariffs on the EU and claiming that the bloc “has treated [the US] terribly” with its trade practices. He has not yet provided specific details regarding the targeted goods or the exact tariff rates, however.
Speaking to reporters ahead of an informal meeting of EU leaders in Brussels, Frederiksen warned that Trump’s insistence on placing levies on the bloc’s goods could trigger a trade war.
“I am not in favor of a trade war. I am actually in favor of the opposite, that we trade with each other… but it is clear that if there is very strong American pressure on the European market, we simply cannot do anything but respond harshly,” she stated.
“Unfortunately, we will have to give a very robust response” to US tariffs, Frederiksen added, without disclosing what that response could entail. She warned, however, that the bloc’s retaliatory measures would inevitably “affect ordinary people.”
“It is going to affect employees and companies in the US, in Europe, in Canada and other places that are involved in this,” she added.
Similar remarks were made by Frederiksen’s EU peers, with French President Emmanuel Macron saying that if the bloc is “attacked in terms of trade,” it “will have to stand up for itself and therefore react.” The prime minister of Luxembourg, Luc Frieden, said that the answer to tariffs would be “to reply with the same action,” while Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk suggested the bloc should do all it can to avoid “totally unnecessary and stupid tariff wars.”
Trump has already made good on some of his earlier tariff threats. Last week he announced a significant 25% duty on all imports from Mexico and most goods from Canada, as well as a 10% tariff on Chinese goods, effective February 4. He justified the measures by accusing the three countries of failing to stem the flow of migrants and illegal drugs into the US. Canada has already responded by imposing a 25% levy on US goods, and warned of further countermeasures. Mexico has also signaled it will implement retaliatory tariffs, while China said it plans to file a lawsuit disputing Trump’s tariffs with the World Trade Organization.
