The EU is ready to respond to
sweeping new US tariffs, the bloc's chief Ursula von der Leyen
warned Thursday, but urged US President Donald Trump to address
his concerns through dialogue. "I deeply regret this choice,"
von der Leyen said. "There seems to be no order in the disorder.
No clear path through the complexity and chaos that is being
created as all US trading partners are hit." She added that the
EU was "prepared to respond". "We are now preparing for further
countermeasures to protect our interests and our businesses if
negotiations fail," von der Leyen said. Trump unveiled
particularly stinging tariffs Wednesday on major trade partners
China and the European Union on what he called "Liberation Day".
The figure for the EU was 20 percent, and comes after Trump had
previously slapped tariffs on steel and aluminium imports as
well as cars and auto parts. The bloc has, however, pushed
strongly to resolve Trump's trade concerns through dialogue, and
von der Leyen left the door open again Thursday. "There is an
alternative path. It is not too late to address concerns through
negotiations," she said. Von der Leyen made her comments in
English, French and German in a video address from Uzbekistan
where she will attend the EU-Central Asia summit this week. Von
der Leyen said the new tariffs would hurt consumers around the
world.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
