Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Lebanese Ministry of Health: Final toll from airstrike on car in Zebdine, Nabatieh District: Two martyrs, four injured
Egyptian media: Indirect talks between Hamas and Israelis begin in Sharm el-Sheikh.
AFP: France's new PM Sebastein Lecornu resigns just hours after unveiling cabinet.
Trump: Technical teams will meet again on Monday in Egypt to discuss and clarify the final details, and the first phase is scheduled to be completed this week
US President Donald Trump: Talks with Hamas have been very successful and are moving at a rapid pace
Local sources in Aleppo: Violent clashes erupt between the SDF and factions affiliated with the transitional authority on the Deir Hafer and Tishrin Dam fronts in the eastern Aleppo countryside
Israeli media: Interceptor missiles fired in an attempt to shoot down the drone
IOF Spokesperson: Sirens sounded amid suspected "enemy aircraft" infiltrating the Eilat area
Israeli media: "Israel" won the battle but lost the war strategically and politically
Israeli media: Ben Gurion Airport's airspace closed to air traffic following missile launch from Yemen

EU rallies allies as Trump tariff threats push trade tensions higher

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Bloomberg
  • 14 Jul 2025 15:59
4 Min Read

The bloc is ramping up global diplomatic efforts and preparing extensive countermeasures in response to Donald Trump's sweeping tariff threats, while warning of significant economic fallout if negotiations fail.

  • x
  • AP
    European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen delivers her speech during a statement on the preparation for the EU–China Summit on July 8, 2025, at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France. (AP Photo/Pascal Bastien)

A Bloomberg report published on Monday stated that the European Union is intensifying its diplomatic efforts with countries impacted by US tariff escalations, including Canada and Japan, amid Donald Trump's renewed threats to impose sweeping trade restrictions. EU officials are exploring options for coordinated responses as negotiations with Washington stall, especially over contentious issues like car duties and agricultural tariffs.

Teresa Ribera, the EU's competition chief, speaking from Beijing, underscored the bloc's simultaneous pivot toward the Asia-Pacific region, noting that finalizing a free trade agreement with India by year's end remains a key objective.

"We need to explore how far, how deep we can go in the Pacific area with other countries," she told Bloomberg TV, suggesting an expanded trade framework that could serve as a hedge against US unpredictability.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed that the EU will prolong its suspension of countermeasures against the US until August 1, allowing space for negotiations. However, she added that preparations for retaliatory action are well underway: the EU has a €21 billion ($24.5 billion) tariff list in place, with an additional €72 billion package and export controls under review.

"At the same time, we will continue to prepare further countermeasures so we are fully prepared," she said in Brussels.

Related News

Von der Leyen faces no-confidence vote for 'surrendering Europe' to US

Trump’s tariffs begin to squeeze US shoppers’ wallets: FT

Escalation, unity, and retaliation

While von der Leyen stated that the bloc's Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI), a legal tool designed to deter economic blackmail, is not currently being employed, French President Emmanuel Macron pushed for its immediate readiness. Calling the Trump tariffs a "direct threat," Macron used social media to advocate for speeding up "credible countermeasures," including ACI activation.

According to Bloomberg, Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz issued a more somber warning in a televised interview, stating that proposed 30% tariffs on EU exports could "hit exporters in Europe's largest economy to the core." He urged unity among EU member states and continued communication with the US administration to avoid severe fallout.

Canada, which also received a formal warning from Trump about looming 35% tariffs, has already imposed retaliatory tariffs on US steel, aluminum, and auto parts. It is also deepening trade ties in Asia and Latin America to diversify its export markets, reported Bloomberg, adding that Japan, similarly, is lobbying for exemptions while establishing a crisis task force to respond to potential trade disruption.

Read more: South Korea warns US chip tariffs threaten economy, global supply

Tariff standoff

According to Goldman Sachs analysts, the full implementation of Trump's new tariff regime could raise the effective US tariff rate on EU imports by 26 percentage points and shave 1.2% off euro area GDP by the end of 2026. They noted that while the aggressive measures may be part of a negotiating strategy, "the EU would likely retaliate… raising the risk of further trade escalation."

As the August 1 deadline looms, EU officials remain locked in discussions to secure favorable terms. But the scale and speed of Trump's proposed tariffs, including a 25% duty on automobiles and parts, 50% on copper and aluminum, and new levies on sectors like pharmaceuticals and semiconductors, have alarmed Brussels.

With alternative trade alliances being fortified and countermeasures already drafted, the EU is preparing for a scenario in which negotiation fails and a new phase of transatlantic economic confrontation begins.

  • US tariffs
  • United States
  • EU Tariffs
  • tariffs
  • countermeasures
  • Anti-Coercion Instrument
  • trade war
  • Trump trade
  • European Union

Most Read

Iraq at a crossroads: A new war front?

Iraq at a crossroads: A new war front?

  • West Asia
  • 30 Sep 2025
A Hamas fighter in combat fatigues stands before the ceremony for the handover of Israeli captives to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, February 22, 2025 (AP)

Hamas responds to Trump plan, backs Gaza withdrawal, exchange

  • Politics
  • 3 Oct 2025
Tucker Carlson speaks at a memorial for Charlie Kirk, Sunday, September 21, 2025, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona (AP)

Tucker Carlson: Israeli officers gave orders on Iran inside Pentagon

  • Politics
  • 2 Oct 2025
ap

'Israel' pays influencers $7K per post to whitewash Gaza genocide

  • Politics
  • 1 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Hezbollah's representative in Iran, Sayyed Abdullah Safieddine, during an interview with Al Mayadeen which aired on October 6, 2025 (Al Mayadeen)
Politics

Tehran never interferes in Hezbollah decisions: Representative in Iran

Smoke billows over the Gaza Strip following an Israeli bombardment, as seen from southern Palestine, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP)
Politics

Indirect talks for a ceasefire in Gaza begin in Sharm El-Sheikh: Egypt

Fighters from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) prepare to attend a military parad in Qamishli, northeastern Syria, Tuesday, August 12, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Security forces seal Aleppo’s Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafieh districts

Amsterdam Captain Mohammed Ali Mohiuddin, who took part in the Global Sumud mission to Gaza, talks to Al Mayadeen on October 6, 2025 (Screengrab)
Politics

GSF captain says despite abuse, 'Israel weaker than spider's web'

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS