EU vows ‘firm and proportionate countermeasures’ towards newest Trump tariffs – Europe stay

EU commerce commissioner Maroš Šefčovič has additionally simply been talking about US tariffs within the European Parliament, calling them “economically counterproductive,” “bad for businesses, worse for consumers,” and “raising costs for [US] businesses and fueling inflation.”

He mentioned the bloc was “assessing the scope of the measures announced overnight,” however “will be responding in a firm and proportionate way with countermeasures.”

Here’s what he mentioned:

Europe faces an more and more advanced world marked by, amongst different issues, rivalry and unpredictability that impacts our commerce relations around the globe within the EU.

Turning to our relationships with the US, sadly, tariffs got here again.

In a single day, the President of the US signed a proclamation imposing 25% tariffs on all metal and aluminium imports into the US as from 12 March; he has additionally introduced reciprocal tariffs on different merchandise coming this week.

We deeply remorse these selections and bulletins. The EU sees no justification for the imposition of tariffs on our exports, which is economically counterproductive, particularly given the deeply built-in manufacturing chains established via our in depth transatlantic commerce and funding ties.

Tariffs are taxes: dangerous for companies, worse for customers, and by imposing tariffs, the US can be taxing its personal residents, elevating prices for its personal companies and fueling inflation. As well as, tariffs aren’t solely dangerous for the buying and selling companions immediately concerned, but additionally danger having disruptive results for a lot of others, in addition to the worldwide buying and selling system as a complete. Put merely, it’s a lose-lose state of affairs. …

We’re presently assessing the scope of the measures introduced in a single day, and can be responding in a agency and proportionate means by countermeasures.

European Fee president Ursula von der Leyen has simply responded to US tariffs on aluminium and metal introduced in a single day, saying the bloc will reply with “agency and proportionate countermeasures.”

Here’s what she mentioned:

I deeply remorse the US determination to impose tariffs on European metal and aluminium exports.

Tariffs are taxes – dangerous for enterprise, worse for customers.

Unjustified tariffs on the EU is not going to go unanswered – they’ll set off agency and proportionate countermeasures.

The EU will act to safeguard its financial pursuits. We are going to defend our employees, companies and customers.

Jakub Krupa

Now, an instantaneous disclaimer on that recommendation I bought from chatbots.

New analysis discovered that main synthetic intelligence assistants create distortions, factual inaccuracies and deceptive content material in response to questions on information and present affairs.

Greater than half of the AI-generated solutions offered by ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini and Perplexity have been judged to have “significant issues”, in line with the examine by the BBC.

So, be warned, don’t mechanically belief no matter you get from bots, and at all times double verify it with respected sources, after all.

(Not totally positive if this presence of distortions, factual inaccuracies and deceptive content material would essentially be an issue when coping with Trump, although.)

Morning opening: The Artwork of the Deal

Jakub Krupa

US president Donald Trump has in a single day confirmed his plan to impose tariffs on all aluminium and metal imports from all over the place on the planet, together with Europe.

Most metal used within the US comes from Mexico and Canada, with smaller numbers from Asia and Europe, with German producers frightened about oblique penalties if Chinese language or Indonesian metal will get diverted to Europe. Italy and Spain are involved, too.

However there’s additionally a transparent political query: how ought to the EU reply?

European Fee president Ursula von der Leyen and French president Emmanuel Macron will meet with US vice-president JD Vance immediately, on the sidelines of the AI Motion Summit in Paris. It will likely be their first formal assembly because the inauguration of the brand new US administration final month.

Maintaining with the theme, I’ve requested numerous AI fashions to tackle the position of a European chief and supply ideas on how to answer Trump’s more and more assertive commerce coverage.

It seems that fashions do appear to mirror the way in which policymaking is now being accomplished in respective geographies.

French Mistral AI’s Le Chat has provided me a quite bland “European Commission officials on a working trip to Brugge” sort of response (additionally making me consider the “let’s do away with computers” scene from the sensible British TV collection the Thick of It).

It instructed me – and I swear to God, that is verbatim from its solutions – to “present a unified front”, “show solidarity with the member states,” and have interaction in “high-level dialogue,” earlier than contemplating “targeted retaliatory measures” and submitting a criticism to the World Commerce Group. Oh, and to “invest in innovation” to “enhance the competitiveness of European industries.”

So good, it might be leaked from an EU official’s inbox, and we might not know.

Once I requested for unorthodox options, it instructed me to organise a “flashmob” (are they even nonetheless a factor in 2025?), file “viral videos,” and purchase a billboard in a US metropolis to “raise awareness” in regards to the affect of tariffs. Yeah, good luck with that.

American OpenAI’s ChatGPT struck was notably (means) extra bullish, directing me to “play the Art of the Deal against Trump” and persuade him we are able to get “a big, beautiful deal,” probably even named after him, and declare it’s “the best in history,” whereas truly getting no matter we wish for Europe.

“Instead of reacting defensively, we should go on the offensive,” it mentioned, including that we also needs to retaliate with expansive tariffs however droop their software to “leave uncertainty hanging over US businesses” and basically scare Trump into submission.

It then instructed me to “publicly praise his brilliant negotiating skills while quietly working around him,” and “use exaggerated flattery to make him think removing tariffs was his idea all along” by forcing him to “meet his erratic behaviour with controlled unpredictability of our own.”

“He may not play by the rules, but that doesn’t mean we can’t beat him at his own game,” it concluded.

Somebody higher ship that to Ursula and Emmanuel earlier than they meet with Vance for a Parisian lunch.

It’s Tuesday, 11 February 2025, and that is Europe stay. It’s Jakub Krupa right here.

Good morning.