Regardless of Donald Trump’s threat to introduce 25% tariffs on European cars and trucks, there is relatively broad agreement in the EU that the trade agreement that Ursula von der Leyen concluded with the American president in Scotland last summer should be put under the roof as soon as possible.
French President Emmanuel Macron was, as usual, the most outspoken in calls for stronger action against Washington. The European Union has at its disposal a “bazooka”, a new instrument against economic coercion through retaliatory measures such as restrictions on trade, investment or public procurement. But its activation in response to Trump’s threats is unlikely.
