At the height of transatlantic trade tensions, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday: "Europe is always ready to strike a good deal."

Von der Leyen said that as part of trade negotiations, the European Commission has proposed an agreement to eliminate all industrial product tariffs to the United States, while emphasizing her intention to push for EU retaliation against Trump's tariff policies if negotiations fail.

Trump has announced a 20% tariff on all imports from the EU, which will take effect on April 9. Steel, aluminum, and automobiles are subject to an additional 25% tariff. More than 380 billion euros worth of EU-manufactured products will be affected. Pharmaceuticals, copper, timber, semiconductors, and energy are exempted.

Von der Leyen said on Monday afternoon: "We are always ready to negotiate with the United States. In fact, we have proposed zero tariffs on industrial products, just as we have successfully done with many other trading partners."

Von der Leyen said, "Because Europe is always prepared to reach a good agreement, we have kept it on the table. But we are also prepared to respond with countermeasures to defend our interests."

Von der Leyen pointed out that she had repeatedly proposed what she called a "zero-for-zero" agreement on the automotive industry in the past, but the U.S. side "did not make an appropriate response." Von der Leyen said: "We prefer to resolve issues through negotiation." She warned that the European Commission would use "all available tools" for countermeasures when necessary, including the EU's anti-coercion instrument, which was launched in 2023 but has never been triggered.

Von der Leyen described Trump's comprehensive tariffs as a "major turning point" for the United States, which will impose "substantial costs" on American consumers and businesses and cause a "significant" impact on the global economy. Washington calls Trump's tariff measures "reciprocal," while Brussels deems its logic "neither credible nor reasonable."

In addition to the direct impact on EU-U.S. trade flows, the European Commission is also concerned about the potential impact of Trump's decision on international commerce, particularly in Asia. Due to high tariff levels, the EU fears that export-dependent Asian countries may be shut out of the U.S. market and redirect their products to Europe instead. Von der Leyen announced the establishment of a new task force during her speech to closely monitor changes in global commerce.

Von der Leyen said: "We will also protect ourselves from indirect impacts of trade diversion. To this end, we will establish an 'Import Monitoring Task Force' to study our past and current import situations and whether there are specific surges in certain products or industries that require us to take action."

In addition, EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maroš Šefčovič noted on Monday that Trump's series of tariff measures decided last week will hit EU exports worth 380 billion euros to the United States.

Šefčovič added that the European Commission has drawn up a list of countermeasures, which will be sent to EU member states later on Monday evening. He said: "The decision will be made on April 9, and the final list will be adopted on April 15, with tariffs on products taking effect on that day."

Šefčovič also told reporters that the total value of the EU's countermeasures against the U.S. tariff list will not reach 26 billion euros, as EU commissioners have been listening to feedback from member states. The EU's list is an initial response to the U.S. announcement of tariff increases.

Source: rfi

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