Europe Asia News

In a letter published over the weekend, Trump wrote: “We have been discussing our Trade Relationship with the European Union for years, and we have concluded that we must move away from these long-term, large and persistent Trade Deficits caused by your Tariffs, Non-Tariff Policies, and Trade Barriers...”

Over the weekend, EU leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, responded politically to the announcement.

Macron said the EU must be prepared for a trade war and should oppose the U.S. President, who was expected to approve in principle a 10% tariff agreement with the bloc last week.

However, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who maintains good relations with Trump, stated that she believed a “fair agreement” could be reached, adding: “It would not be logical to trigger a trade war between both sides of the Atlantic.”

EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič was more outspoken this morning. Upon arriving to meet with foreign and trade ministers, he said, “Let’s be honest, the idea of a 30% tariff is practically a barrier to mutual trade.”

He added that such tariffs would “heavily impact supply chains on both sides of the Atlantic” and make it “almost impossible to continue trade as we are used to.”

Šefčovič said the bloc received Trump’s letter “with sadness and disappointment” but stated that they would increase engagement with U.S. counterparts on Monday to find a way out of the crisis, saying, “I cannot even imagine giving up without trying.”

“In the coming weeks, I will discuss next steps with ministers. I believe these will focus on four areas: negotiations, rebalancing measures, engagement with like-minded partners, and diversification of our trade.”