On tariffs against the European Union, “a decision has been made that we will announce very soon.” Donald Trump said this, adding that “in general terms, the tariffs will be 25% on cars and everything else.” “I love European countries, but the European Union was created to rip off the United States,” the president said while speaking to journalists before a Cabinet meeting at the White House, arguing that “the EU does not accept our cars or our agricultural products; they take advantage of us.”

The European Reaction
“The European Union will react firmly and immediately to unjustified barriers to free and fair trade, even when tariffs are used to challenge legitimate and non-discriminatory policies,” stated a spokesperson for the European Commission in response to Trump’s announcement. “The EU will always protect European businesses, workers, and consumers from unjustified tariffs,” they added.

“The Union has been a boon for the US”
The Commission also responded to the US president’s accusation that the EU “takes advantage” of the United States. “The EU is the largest free market in the world and has been a boon for the United States. US investments in Europe are highly profitable. American companies have been able to invest and generate substantial revenues precisely because the Union is a large, unified market that benefits business,” the spokesperson emphasized, noting that transatlantic trade in goods and services “amounts to over $1.5 trillion per year, the largest in the world.”

“We should work together to preserve these opportunities for our people and our businesses, not against each other,” the spokesperson warned, reminding that “Europe stands for dialogue, openness, and reciprocity.” “We are ready to cooperate if we respect the rules, but we will also protect our consumers and businesses at every step,” they added, “because they expect nothing less from us.”