Outcry from Europe against Donald Trump's tariffs. After China's very firm reaction, reactions on the protectionist choice of the USA regarding the importation of aluminum and steel are also arriving from the old continent. The day after the official signing of the decree, which at the moment it foresees soft tariffs excluding Canada and Mexico with a view to an overall revision of the treaty on trade in North America, the European Commission immediately responded, which has already defined the list of trade countermeasures against the USA to ward off the blow.
The European Commissioner for Trade, Cecilia Malmstroem, was in any case cautious in her tones: “Europe opts for the path of dialogue, which is always the first option for the European Union. What Trump said yesterday is not very clear, we will try to get more clarity on this point. Hopefully we can get confirmation that the EU will be exempt."
The attitude of other European capitals is decidedly more aggressive. German Economy Minister Brigitte Zypries denounces American "protectionism"., considering it "an affront to close partners such as the EU and Germany and to free trade". Angela Merkel's spokesman speaks of an "illegal" choice for the rules of the World Trade Organisation. The chancellor herself expresses concern, but she adopts tones closer to those of Brussels, adding that "dialogue is always to be preferred" to avoid a trade war because "nobody will win it".
France for its part "deplores" the US president's decision and, according to Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire, the reaction “can only be collective at the European level, if we want it to be effective. A trade war between the US and the rest of the world will only lead to losers”.
The first country not to want this war is the main competitor of the USA, China, which denounces an "attack" on the multilateral trading system. "The abuse of the National Security Clause by the United States constitutes a deliberate attack on the multilateral trading system embodied by the World Trade Organization and will certainly have a serious impact on the world trading system," China's Commerce Ministry said in a statement. . 'China strongly opposes', he added.
