The European Union has declared it will defend its interests following a threat by United States President Donald Trump to impose a 50 percent tariff on all EU goods.
Trump’s warning, posted on his Truth Social platform, said he is “recommending” a 50 percent duty on products from the 27-member bloc starting June 1, claiming talks with EU representatives “are going nowhere.”
Reacting to the development, the EU’s top trade official, Maros Sefcovic, said on Friday that he had spoken with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick over the matter.
“The EU is fully engaged, committed to securing a deal that works for both,” Sefcovic wrote in a post on X.
“EU-US trade is unmatched and must be guided by mutual respect, not threats. We stand ready to defend our interests.
While Trump later told reporters at the White House that he was open to delaying the tariffs, he made clear he was not seeking a new trade agreement. “I’m not looking for a deal,” he said. “We’ve set the deal. It’s at 50 percent.”
According to Aljazeera, Trump added that the tariffs might be reconsidered if more European firms make significant investments in the United States.
European leaders have cautioned that the proposed tariffs would be damaging to both sides. German economy minister Katherina Reiche urged efforts to “ensure that the European Commission reaches a negotiated solution with the United States,” while French foreign minister Laurent Saint-Martin noted that although the EU prefers de-escalation, it is “ready to respond.”
Should the tariffs be enforced, EU exports would face significantly higher import taxes than those from China, which recently saw a reduction in its own tariffs as talks resumed between Washington and Beijing.
Earlier in April, Trump introduced a 20 percent tariff on most EU goods, but later reduced it to 10 percent until July 8 to allow more time for negotiations.
The US president has long argued that current trade structures favour the EU, pointing out that the bloc exports more goods to the US than it imports.
In a further development, Trump warned on Friday that Apple could face a 25 percent import tax on iPhones not manufactured in the US but sold domestically.
The announcements sent ripples through financial markets, with the S&P 500 dropping about 0.8 percent and the pan-European STOXX 600 falling by roughly 1.2 percent.
