BRUSSELS — Countries are ready to work with reliable trade partners in Europe after United States President Donald Trump’s blanket trade tariffs upended global markets, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told POLITICO.
“In a more and more unpredictable global environment, countries are lining up to work with us,” the Commission president said without naming Trump or the U.S.
In recent weeks she has spoken to leaders from Iceland, New Zealand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Canada, India and the United Arab Emirates who were looking for “strong, reliable partners.”
The global order is “shifting more deeply than at any time since the Cold War ended,” von der Leyen added.
Trump announced the reciprocal tariffs on April 2 — hitting the EU with a 20 percent levy and most of the rest of the world with a baseline tariff of 10 percent. As financial markets melted down a week later, Trump suspended the higher tariffs for 90 days to open the way for talks on a trade deal.
In the EU’s case, it is still paying that 10 percent rate, as well as 25 percent on exports of steel, aluminum and cars — while the U.S. and China have hit each other with triple-digit tariffs. If Trump reimposes those reciprocal tariffs, global merchandise trade could shrink by 1.5 percent this year, with North America hardest hit, the World Trade Organization forecasts.
Von der Leyen has contrasted this volatility by playing up Europe’s steadfastness. Amid such upheaval, confidence in the EU was on the rise, she argued, including from the bloc’s own citizens, referring to a Eurobarometer survey showing support for membership in the bloc at 74 percent, its highest level in 40 years.
“That says something. In the middle of the chaos, Europe stands firm, grounded in values, ready to shape what comes next,” von der Leyen said.
Still, it’s unclear if the U.S. or the EU’s approach is winning.
As Europe looks to strike new trade deals, including a long-delayed pact with the Mercosur trading bloc of South American countries, Trump is holding talks with the leaders of several foreign nations — including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The conservative leader, one of the few European politicians to have Trump’s favor, was welcomed with open arms this week at the White House, where the U.S. president said there would “100 percent” be a trade deal with the EU.
But no concrete details of a potential deal have yet emerged from the meeting, and EU officials are skeptical about the chances of a quick fix.
Meanwhile, senior EU officials — whom Trump has systematically shunned in favor of national leaders — are ramping up their diplomatic outreach, with von der Leyen reportedly planning a trip to China to meet President Xi Jinping later this year.
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