The president of the European Commission (EU), Ursula von der Leyen, said Tuesday that the block will respond with “firm and proportional countermeasures” to the 25 % tariffs that on Monday imposed Donald Trump to all imports of steel and aluminum.
“Deeply regret the United States decision to impose tariffs on European steel and aluminum exports. Tariffs are taxes: bad for companies, worse for consumers, ”Von der Leyen wrote in a statement he also disseminated in his social networks.
I Deeply Regret the US Decision to Impose Tariffs on European Steel and Aluminum Exports.
The Eu Will Act to Safeguard Iss Economic Interests.
We Will Protect Our World, Businesses and Consumers ↓
– Ursula von der Leyen (@VONDERLEYEN) February 11, 2025
Therefore, he said, “the duty Unjustified applied to the EU will not remain unanswered: they will trigger firm and proportionate countermeasures. The EU will act to safeguard their economic interests. We will protect our workers, companies and consumers. ”
At the same time, in a speech before the European Parliament in Strasbourg (France), the European Commissioner of Commerce, Maros SecoFic, said that Brussels before announcing the counteroffensive “is currently analyzing the scope of the measures.”
“There is a lot at stake for both parties. We want it to work, because it is logical, ”continued the commissioner.
The Eurocamara, in favor of a proportional response
Meanwhile, a majority of European Parliament groups supported the “firm and proportional” response promised by Von der Leyen, although with nuances about how the relationship with Washington and between criticism of the ultra -right to community regulations should be preserved.
During a debate on Tuesday in the Eurocamara on the new era in global commercial relations, the Swedish Eurodipute .
For the leader of the left, the French Manon Aubry, the US tariffs should allow the EU to “learn the lesson” and promote that Brussels bet on “ending free trade” and recovering sovereignty in energy and food matters.
⭕ Trump’s last step in the tariff war already undertaken on a global scale advises an unprecedented blow to the T-MEC, the treaty in force since 2020 that regulates commercial relations between the United States, Mexico and Canada
https://t.co/1t9z20wmck pic.twitter.com/t71rxtl72W
– El País América (@elpais_america) February 12, 2025
The executive order that Trump signed on Monday indicates that the imports of steel and aluminum “threaten to undermine national security”, and that the agreements in force until now conclude on March 12, 2025, date from which the products indicated will be object of the new tariffs.
Another reaction on tariffs: General Motor (GM) and Ford
The two largest cars manufacturers in the US, General Motor (GM) and Ford, also admitted in the last hours their confusion with the policies of the Trump administration and the uncertainty caused by tariffs, in this case to Mexico and Canada.
The CEO of Ford, Jim Farley, acknowledged that 25 % tariffs to Mexico and Canada of the Trump administration “will make a gap in the US industry as it has never been seen before.”
Trump does again: signing 25 % tariffs to all imports of steel and aluminum
Farley added that the tariffs to the two main business partners of the US For tariffs.
A meeting after ads
The first contacts between Brussels and Washington after the publication of the Trump measure took place at the meeting between Von der Leyen and the United States vice president, JD Vance on Tuesday, within the framework of a world summit on artificial intelligence.
However, as transcended, the topics treated between them were limited to “the Russian war against Ukraine, the reinforcement of European defense and China’s actions.”
With EFE information.
