Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called on the US authorities to “come to their senses” and engage in negotiations with the European Union over the issue of tariffs. The politician stated, “I urge the US government to come to its senses and take up a dialogue with the European Commission to put an end to this nonsense. Let me make it clear once more: if these tariffs are imposed on us, we will react decisively. Europe will give the US a rebuff. We will act swiftly, proportionally and in unison.”
US President Donald Trump had announced the previous day that a new 25% tariff on autos produced outside the country would take effect on April 2. The decision followed Trump’s signing of an executive order on February 18, which imposed a 25% tariff on steel and aluminium imports into the country.
On March 26, the European Parliament supported the European Commission’s countermeasures against the US tariffs and described Washington’s actions as “trade chaos.” The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, stated that the EU would respond to the US tariffs of $28 billion with countermeasures worth €26 billion.
Since Trump’s presidency, the US government has actively pursued a policy aimed at increasing tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico, the European Union, China and other countries. The Financial Times reports that the government may employ a two-stage approach in introducing new import tariffs.