European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said today that Brussels has prepared "a solid plan" to counter the global tariffs that the US presidency will apply from tomorrow, April 2, IPN reports.
The European Commission has announced countermeasures worth €26 billion on US goods in retaliation for US tariffs on imported steel, aluminum, cars.
The EU's chief executive said in a speech to MEPs that the EU's main objective is "to find a negotiated solution" and a plan is ready to respond to Washington's tariffs, EFE news agency reports.
"If necessary, we will protect our interests, our people, our businesses. I want to be explicit about our objective," Ursula von der Leyen said.
"The best way to defend our transatlantic relationship is to invest more in our own defense," said European Council President António Costa, referring to the defense investment plan that European leaders recently endorsed.
So far, the leader in the White House has announced a 25% tariff on cars imported into the US and 25% tariffs on steel, aluminum imports from global partners.
The EU-US trade relationship amounts to $1.7 trillion annually, and the gap between EU exports and US imports is $50 billion, according to the European Commission.
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