European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says Brussels has prepared \u201ca strong plan\u201d containing \u201cfirm countermeasures\u201d to counter the global tariffs that US president Donald Trump has decided to impose on goods imported from the United States. Von der Leyen stressed that the reciprocal 25% tariffs \u201cwill be a nightmare for all US importers\u201d and added that \u201ctoday nobody needs that: neither the United States nor Europe\u201d. \u201cTariffs are taxes that will be paid by the people. Tariffs are taxes for Americans on food and medicine. Tariffs will only fuel inflation. The exact opposite of what we want to achieve. American factories will pay more for components produced in Europe. This will cost jobs\u201d, the European Commission president said in a speech delivered in the European Parliament. Europe did not start this confrontation, von der Leyen argues, quoted by Radio Romania\u2019s correspondent in Strasbourg. We do not necessarily want to take revenge, she adds, but, \u201cif necessary, we will protect our interests, our people, our companies\u201d. Ursula von der Leyen also mentioned alternative destinations for European exports. She said that, by the end of the year, Brussels wants to finalize a trade agreement with India, the largest country on the planet, and to intensify negotiations with Indonesia and Thailand.<\/p>\n
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Meanwhile, in Washington, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said president Trump is \u201ctaking historic steps\u201d to improve American competitiveness across the board. \u201cOur country has been one of the most open economies in the world and we have the best consumer base, hands down. But too many foreign countries have their markets closed to our exports. This is fundamentally unfair. The lack of reciprocity contributes to our large and persistent annual trade deficit that’s gutted our industries and hollowed out key workforces\u201d, Leavitt said.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThe flow of goods and services between us is nearly balanced\u201d, von der Leyen said in response, adding that \u201cthis is the largest and most prosperous trade relation worldwide. We would all be better off if we could find a constructive solution\u201d. Debates between policymakers created a ripple effect across European societies. The overwhelming majority of respondents, about 70%, agree with the introduction of additional tariffs and taxes on American products, according to a survey conducted by a well-known British institution in countries such as Spain, Denmark, Sweden, France, Germany or Italy. (VP)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says Brussels has prepared \u201ca strong plan\u201d containing \u201cfirm countermeasures\u201d to counter the global tariffs that US president Donald Trump has decided to impose on goods imported from the United States. Von der Leyen stressed that the reciprocal 25% tariffs \u201cwill be a nightmare for all US importers\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":105,"featured_media":868101,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[37738],"tags":[30959,37440,166985,35307,166984,162741],"coauthors":[113297],"class_list":["post-877288","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-today-in-the-news","tag-donald-trump","tag-eu-usa-relations","tag-trade-policies","tag-ursula-von-der-leyen","tag-us-imports","tag-us-tariffs"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n