European leaders reacted with dismay to punishing new American tariffs announced by U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday, vowing to retaliate in unison.
Trump’s “Liberation Day” announcement slapped a 20 percent tariff on all imports from the 27-nation European Union. “They rip us off,” Trump said. “It’s so sad to see. It’s so pathetic.”
The tariffs drew a swift rebuke and a promise to respond in kind from EU capitals, which had long been bracing for Trump’s economic smackdown.
Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin said the tariffs were “bad for the world economy” and would harm transatlantic relations.
“We see no justification for this,” Martin said. “More than €4.2 billion worth of goods and services are traded between the EU and the U.S. daily. Disrupting this deeply integrated relationship benefits no one.”
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson had similar comments, arguing the tariffs went against the “free enterprise and competition” that “have laid the foundations of the West’s success.”
“That’s why Americans can listen to music on Swedish Spotify and we Swedes can listen to the same music on our American iPhones,” he said. “This is why I deeply regret the path the U.S. has embarked upon, seeking to limit trade with higher tariffs.”
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called for “really and truly reciprocal tariffs” between Europe and the U.S. “Adequate decisions are needed,” he added.
Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen — who this week rebuked Washington for its aggressive rhetoric about seizing control of Greenland, a self-ruling Danish territory — said “everyone loses” in a trade war between the U.S. and Europe.
“Instead of raising walls, we should bring down barriers,” Rasmussen said. “Europe will stand united. Europe will give robust and proportional answers.”
Norwegian Trade Minister Cecilie Myrseth said Trump’s decision to level 15 percent tariffs on Norway — which is not an EU member — would have a “critical” impact on the country’s economy.
“This is a serious day, and now, we need to get an overview of what this actually means for Norway,” she told broadcaster NRK, adding that tariffs against the EU also affected Oslo due to their expansive trade links. “We also send a lot of exports to the EU. So, it will also affect us.”
Another non-EU member country with high levels of trades with the bloc, Switzerland, called for “respect for international law and free trade” after Trump slapped a 31 percent tariff on its goods.
Switzerland “will quickly determine the next steps,” its President Karin Keller-Sutter said.
Bernd Lange, who chairs the European Parliament’s International Trade Committee, slammed the tariffs as “unjustified, illegal and disproportionate,” while Jörgen Warborn, the international trade spokesperson for the European People’s Party group, the largest faction in the Parliament, said it is “hard to keep cool when a friend is acting like a bully.”
“This is damaging a transatlantic bond that has preserved for centuries,” Warborn said. “We are in a pivotal moment in trade history where the EU must respond in a united manner.”
The U.K., along with Australia, Brazil, Singapore and Saudi Arabia, among others, was hit with a 10 percent tariff.
British Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds warned, “We have a range of tools at our disposal and we will not hesitate to act,” while adding that London would still seek a better deal with the U.S.
“Nobody wants a trade war and our intention remains to secure a deal,” he said. “But nothing is off the table and the government will do everything necessary to defend the U.K.’s national interest.”
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