2 weeks Ago By Gerard Fageda
Ursula von der Leyen raised her voice early this morning against the White House over Donald Trump's latest announcement of tariff increases, warning that the trade crisis between the United States and the European Union could have "immense consequences." "The global economy will suffer enormously, and uncertainty will soar, and protectionism will increase," the president of the European Commission predicted in a press conference in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The head of the European Commission also warned the Trump administration that she does not intend to stand idly by if it continues to raise import tariffs and assured that the European Union is "prepared to respond" to attacks from Washington.
In this regard, Von der Leyen recalled that they are already "finalizing the first package of countermeasures in response to the tariffs" on imports that the United States applied to steel and aluminum from the European Union and that they are already "preparing future countermeasures." "We will protect the interests of our companies if negotiations fail," the German conservative added. However, the president of the European Commission wants to keep her hand outstretched at the White House until the last moment to negotiate and reach an agreement that will avoid the start of a trade war between the EU power and the United States.
"It is not too late to address the problems through negotiations," said Von der Leyen, who urges Trump to abandon the "confrontation" and sit at the table. It's worth remembering that the EU has several tools to counterattack the US and try to dissuade them from raising tariffs on European products. The most important legal mechanism available to Brussels is the so-called , which allows for a fast-track response to the White House and, for example, increases customs duties, restricts imports or exports, excludes some countries from participating in public tenders, or, among other things, suspends international obligations regarding intellectual property, which would particularly affect large American technology companies.
In any case, Brussels does not intend to implement these types of measures and insists that its intention is to avoid a trade war with its main ally, the United States, at all costs. In fact, the European Commission has postponed the entry into force of part of the first package of countermeasures against iconic American products, such as Levi's jeans, Bourbon whiskey, and Harley-Davidson motorcycles, until mid-April. The intention, as always, is to give the Trump administration as much time as possible to negotiate and stop the rise in tariffs.
.
