(ANSA-AFP) - BERLIN, APR 3 - Germany said Thursday it backed
European efforts to seek a negotiated solution over new US
tariffs as a top industry group warned the duties were an
"unprecedented attack" on global trade. "We have always pushed
for negotiations, not confrontation," said German economy
minister and vice chancellor Robert Habeck, adding that he
backed a call from the European Union chief for last-ditch talks
on the duties. He said however that the EU was ready to give "a
balanced, clear and determined response" if talks fail. Under US
President Donald Trump's sweeping new tariffs, which are
targeted at foes and friends alike worldwide, EU imports face a
duty of 20 percent. Germany, Europe's biggest economy, stands to
be hit hard as the United States is its top export destination,
and its companies ship huge quantities of goods, from cars to
chemicals, to the world's top economy. Habeck warned that "US
tariff mania" could "drag countries into recession and cause
massive harm worldwide. With dire consequences for many people."
(ANSA-AFP).
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