Sebastian Roloff, the spokesperson for economic policy within the SPD parliamentary group, has urged the European Union to implement a strong counter-response to the new tariffs announced by U.S. President Donald Trump. Speaking to the “Handelsblatt” (Monday edition), Roloff emphasized that “countermeasures are necessary to make it clear to the USA that they are equally dependent on smooth global trade”. He specifically suggested that a digital tax levied on large American tech conglomerates, such as Meta, Google, or Amazon, would serve as a suitable measure.
Roloff also issued a sharp warning regarding the recent US government plans to raise tariffs on European cars and trucks by 25% starting next week. He cautioned that these announcements would hit key German industries at a particularly sensitive time. According to the Social Democratic politician, the German government cannot afford to let this happen. Roloff concluded by stating that history has shown that Germany must not concede to Trump’s pressure.