Germany and France demand a tougher EU response to US tariffs

France and Germany insist on a tougher EU response to the tariff measures imposed by US President Donald Trump, which could strengthen the EU’s position in the negotiations. This was reported by Bloomberg.

According to Bloomberg’s interlocutors, French President Emmanuel Macron believes that the EU should be ready to respond to US tariffs with countermeasures against American technologies and services.

Paris wants to make sure that the European Union responds with all its tools to protect EU interests, one of the sources said on condition of anonymity.

For his part, German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck compared Trump’s decision to a “war of aggression against Ukraine” and said that “the scale and determination of the (EU’s—Ed.) response must be appropriate.”

“I see that Donald Trump buckles under pressure and corrects his announcements under pressure, but the logical consequence is that he must then feel the pressure. This pressure must now be unleashed, from Germany, from Europe, in alliance with the other countries, and then we will see who is stronger in this arm-wrestling match,” Habeck said.

On the evening of April 2, the US president officially announced the start of a “trade” war simultaneously with all countries of the world, imposing duties from 10% to 50% on imports to the US, depending on the country of origin.

EU countries will receive a 20% tariff for exports to the US. In response, Brussels is preparing emergency measures to mitigate the effects of Trump’s tariffs.