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On April 8, 2025, at 8:16 CEST, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned of the massive economic suffering due to the tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump the previous night. She stated that the EU was “prepared to respond.”

Despite Trump’s direct attack on the “pathetic” EU and the imposition of 20% tariffs on the bloc, von der Leyen still hoped that the relationship could move “from confrontation to negotiation.” She cautioned that “there seems to be no order in disorder.”

However, it was not immediately clear whether such a shift was genuinely possible. Instead, the EU and its member states were scrambling to consider how to manage the situation. French President Emmanuel Macron called an emergency meeting with sectors affected by the tariffs later that day.

German economic daily Handelsblatt estimated that the US tariffs, including a 25% increase on car imports, could cost German carmakers BMW, Mercedes, and Volkswagen up to €11 billion. Given that Germany is the largest EU car exporter to the US, this figure represents nearly a third of the total value of German automotive exports to the US.

The concerns were not only about the immediate impact but also the long-term consequences of Trump’s decision. Addressing Europeans, von der Leyen acknowledged the disappointment many felt towards their longest ally and emphasized the need to think about what’s next.

According to Moritz Schularick, president of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, trust in the United States has been broken and will not easily recover.

This story was published on Thursday, April 3, 2025, by Jakub Krupa as part of Europe Live.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/apr/03/europe-reaction-donald-trump-tariffs-live-news