The leaders of the European Union posted on Monday, February 3, unit and firmness in the face of Donald Trump’s customs rights threats, while calling the American president to avoid a trade war that would only losers. “If we were attacked on commercial subjects, Europe, as a power that is held, will have to be respected and therefore react,” said French president Emmanuel Macron, at the opening of an informal meeting of heads of state and EU government in Brussels.
Germany, traditionally more prudent on the transatlantic relationship and commercial issues, has assured that Europe will be able to reply if necessary for possible American customs rights targeting its products. “The United States and Europe benefit from the exchange of goods, the exchange of service. If now the pricing policy complicates this, it would be bad for the United States, bad for Europe,” said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. “It is clear that as large economic zone, we can […] React to customs policies with customs policies. We have to do it and we will do it. “But the objective must be to favor cooperation,” he nuanced.
Opening to dialogue
This line of firmness and opening to dialogue was also embodied by the head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas. “We need America and America needs us too,” she said. “Customs duties increase costs. They are not good for employment, and they are not good either for consumers, it’s clear,” she added.
“We have to do our best to avoid these customs duties and these completely useless and stupid commercial wars,” said Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. “But at the same time, and it is my advice to all my colleagues here in Brussels, we owe, during our possible discussions with our American friends, not to lose sight of our interests, not to lose our respect for ourselves And our self-confidence, “he said, stressing that it was” not easy “.
The European Union had assured on Sunday that it would retaliate “firmly” if Donald Trump imposed customs duties, regretting those already announced against Canada, Mexico and China. “The EU will firmly respond to any trading partner who would unjustly or arbitrate customs duties on EU products,” said a spokesman for the European Commission. This did not prevent the American president from repeating a few hours later that European products would be “very soon” in turn targeted by customs duties. “They do not take our cars or our agricultural products, almost nothing and we all take millions of cars, huge levels of agricultural products,” he said to the press, adding: “I don’t have calendar but it is for very soon “.