Von der
Leyen vows EU will protect its interests as Trump announces huge car tariffs
The U.S. has
escalated its trade war with Europe by implementing a 25 percent tariff on
automobile imports.
March 26,
2025 11:49 pm CET
By Joe
Stanley-Smith
European
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen responded quickly to a decision by
United States President Donald Trump to slap a 25 percent tariff on auto
imports.
The tariffs,
which Trump said will take effect April 3, are a heavy blow for the European
car industry and represent the largest escalation yet in Trump’s multi-fronted
trade war, which is expected to have severe global economic consequences.
“I deeply
regret the US decision to impose tariffs on European automotive exports,” von
der Leyen said in a statement released late Wednesday evening. “Tariffs are
taxes — bad for businesses [and] worse for consumers equally in the US and the
European Union.”
She said
Europe would assess the tariffs, and anticipated that further measures would
arrive from the White House in the coming days. Trump has stepped back from
implementing tariffs on America's allies and adversaries several times since
his Jan. 20 inauguration.
"We're
signing today," Trump said of the protectionist tariffs. "It goes
into effect April 2. We start collecting on April 3."
While von
der Leyen's language was guarded, she left little doubt that the EU is prepared
to retaliate.
“The EU will
continue to seek negotiated solutions, while safeguarding its economic
interests,” she said. “As a major trading power and a strong community of 27
Member States, we will jointly protect our workers, businesses and consumers
across our European Union.”
The tariffs,
if implemented, will be felt around the world. The United States imported $214
billion worth of passenger cars in 2024, including from non-European allies
like Japan, Mexico and South Korea.
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