Europe slams 'illegal' Trump tariffs, vows unified response
https://www.politico.eu/article/europe-donald-trump-tariffs-liberation-day-reaction/
Europe slams illegal Trump tariffs, vows unified response
Trumps Liberation Day announcement of 20 percent tariffs on the EU go against the free enterprise and competition that have laid the foundations of the Wests success, Swedish PM says.
April 3, 2025 2:52 am CET
By Seb Starcevic
European leaders reacted with dismay to punishing new American tariffs announced by U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday, vowing to retaliate in unison.
Trumps Liberation Day announcement slapped a 20 percent tariff on all imports from the 27-nation European Union. They rip us off, Trump said. Its so sad to see. Its so pathetic.
The tariffs drew a swift rebuke and a promise to respond in kind from EU capitals, which had long been bracing for Trumps economic smackdown.
Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin said the tariffs were bad for the world economy and would harm transatlantic relations.
We see no justification for this, Martin said. More than 4.2 billion worth of goods and services are traded between the EU and the U.S. daily. Disrupting this deeply integrated relationship benefits no one.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson had similar comments, arguing the tariffs went against the free enterprise and competition that have laid the foundations of the Wests success.
Thats why Americans can listen to music on Swedish Spotify and we Swedes can listen to the same music on our American iPhones, he said. This is why I deeply regret the path the U.S. has embarked upon, seeking to limit trade with higher tariffs.
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The tyrant should get a prize for unifying the world - against the U.S.