Paris (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – French European Affairs Minister Delegate Benjamin Haddad said that the European Union has the means to respond further to trade disputes if required, citing a trade war with the United States.
In an interview in TF1, Haddad emphasized that the European Union is no longer commercially “naive” and has the capability to safeguard its interests in trade relations.
“The European Union has emerged from its commercial naivete and is now capable of defending its interests and assuming a balance of power that will enable it to take the lead in the world,”
He underlined.
He also confirmed that the European Union will reimpose tariffs against the United States in retaliation for Washington’s decision. The proposed measures target sectors such as denim and motorcycles, comparable to those used in 2019. However, he stated that the European Union now has additional tools, including an anti-coercion means, and could extend its activities to domains like digital services or intellectual property if necessary.
Two weeks ago, in an interview, the French minister on the question of supporting EU interest against Trump measures, he said that
“In reality, the conclusion is that it’s now up to us to give ourselves the means to defend our interests. We’re talking here about geopolitical issues, but if you look at the economic and technological levels, you can also clearly see an uncoupling of the European Union from the United States for the past 30 years or so. We’ve lost 30 points of GDP compared to the United States since 2008.”
What countermeasures is the EU planning against the US?
President Donald Trump’s raised tariffs on all U.S. steel and aluminum imports took effect on, intensifying a campaign to reorder global trade rules in favor of the U.S. that prompted immediate retaliation from Europe.
Trump’s action to strengthen protections for American steel and aluminum producers restores adequate global tariffs of 25% on all imports of the metals. It extends the duties to hundreds of downstream products that contain metals, from nuts and bolts to construction equipment and soda cans. The European Commission reacted almost immediately, stating it would inflict counter tariffs on 26 billion euros worth of U.S. goods from next month.
