Europe hits out at Trump tariffs, keeps door open for talks

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European leaders hit out Thursday against sweeping new US tariffs, with the EU saying it was ready to respond with countermeasures while opening the door for last-ditch negotiations.

US President Donald Trump unveiled stinging tariffs Wednesday on major trade partners including China and the European Union on what he called "Liberation Day".

The figure for the European Union was 20 percent, and comes after Trump had previously imposed tariffs on steel and aluminium imports as well as cars and auto parts.

The 27-member bloc's chief Ursula von der Leyen called the levies a "major blow to the world economy" and said Brussels was "preparing for further countermeasures".

"I deeply regret this choice," von der Leyen said on a visit to Uzbekistan.

"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."

But she said it was "not too late to address concerns through negotiations", aiming for a cool-headed response to the tariff threat facing the bloc.

Charts that show the “reciprocal tariffs” the U.S. is charging other countries are on display at the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on April 2, 2025 in Washington, DC. (AFP Photo)

Meanwhile, Britain said it hoped an economic deal it is trying to strike with the United States would eventually "mitigate" the impact of the 10 percent tariff Trump is imposing on the UK.

However, business minister Jonathan Reynolds said London had "a range of tools at our disposal and we will not hesitate to act".

The French government said just before Trump unveiled his list of tariffs that there would be a sector-by-sector study before the EU announces its response "before the end of April".

French President Emmanuel Macron's office said Thursday that he would meet representatives of French sectors "impacted by the tariff measures".

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Wednesday called the new tariffs "wrong" and said the bloc would do all it can "to work for a deal with the United States, aiming to prevent a trade war that would inevitably weaken the West in favour of other global actors".

Meloni's foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, wrote on X that he would meet with EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic in Brussels on Thursday to discuss a response "based on a pragmatic approach, based on dialogue".

After Switzerland was hit with 31 percent tariffs, President Karin Keller-Sutter said the government would quickly decide on the next steps, adding respect for international law and free trade were "fundamental".

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said friendship with the US meant partnership, and therefore "really and truly reciprocal tariffs" would be necessary.

There are also concerns in Europe that Trump's higher customs duties will lead to a flood of cheap goods from other countries, especially China.

Von der Leyen said the EU would be "watching closely what indirect effects these tariffs could have" and vowed to protect the continent's industries.

'Do not retaliate'

Bernd Lange, who leads the EU parliament's trade committee, slammed Trump's "unjustified, illegal and disproportionate measures".

European industry groups also took aim at Trump's move, calling it counterproductive for nations and customers alike.

The German Automotive Industry Association said the tariffs would "only create losers" and urged the EU to act "with necessary force, while continuing to signal its willingness to negotiate".

The Association of the German Chemical Industry called on the EU to "keep a cool head," warning that "a spiral of escalation would only increase the damage".

The EU had already been hit by several US tariff announcements since Trump returned to office in January, including a 25 percent levy on auto imports announced last week that came into force on Thursday.

The bloc's producers were also affected by a 25 percent US tariff on steel and aluminium from around the world -- to which Brussels has already promised countermeasures to begin in mid-April.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned after Trump's announcement that "My advice to every country right now is, do not retaliate."

Speaking to Fox News, he advised the impacted countries and territories to "sit back, take it in... Because if you retaliate, there will be escalation".