Brussels announces a "firm and immediate" response to the trade war unleashed by the US, and Von der Leyen warns Trump: "It will not go unanswered"

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The Commission doesn't outline its next steps, but the latest dispute is likely to intensify the trade war between the U.S. and Europe.

In response to the "reciprocal tariffs" announced yesterday by US President Donald Trump, which have fully ignited a trade war between the US and Europe, Brussels will therefore heighten the conflict.

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The President claims that Europe's measure is a trade barrier, though it is not. This measure will impose a tariff equivalent to a tax, taking effect in April. The President also plans to impose tariffs on cars, chips, or pharmaceutical products.

The US imposes its own tariffs, raising costs for companies, hindering growth, and fueling inflation. The tariffs create economic uncertainty and disrupt the global market's efficiency and integration, the Commission notes, reiterating its previous warnings after the announcement of tariffs on aluminum and steel.

The EU has made it so that more than 70% of imports don't have to pay tariffs, and it notes that the average tariff on imported goods the EU imposes is among the lowest in the world. The organization emphasizes that the elimination of trade barriers and economic integration have been key factors in the EU's success, which is in contrast to the protectionist policies being proposed by Trump.

She went on to say, 'We will take proportionate and clear countermeasures,' repeating the warning she had given earlier in the week when the tariffs on steel and aluminum were announced.

as French leader Emmanuel Macron has described it.

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