Europe vows to defend interests

The European Union has called for respect while vowing to defend its interests following US President Donald Trump's threat on Friday to impose a 50 percent tariff on EU exports to the US.

European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic said the bloc is fully engaged, and committed to securing a deal that works for both the EU and the US.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the EU was formed for the primary purpose of taking advantage of the US on trade and has been very difficult to deal with.

"Their powerful Trade Barriers, Vat Taxes, ridiculous Corporate Penalties, Non-Monetary Trade Barriers, Monetary Manipulations, unfair and unjustified lawsuits against American Companies, and more, have led to a Trade Deficit with the US of more than $250,000,000 a year, a number which is totally acceptable," Trump wrote.

"Our discussions with them are going nowhere! Therefore, I am recommending a straight 50% Tariff on the European Union, starting on June 1, 2025," he said.

Trump added there is no tariff if the product is built or manufactured in the US.

In response, Sefcovic said he spoke with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, and the European Commission remains ready to work in good faith.

"EU-US trade is unmatched &must be guided by mutual respect, not threats. We stand ready to defend our interests," he said on X.

At an executive order signing in the Oval Office later Friday, Trump escalated his threat to the EU.

"I'm not looking for a deal," he said. "We've set the deal — it's at 50 percent", he told reporters.

The US has since mid-March imposed 25 percent tariffs on EU steel and aluminum despite a truce reached between the EU and then US president Joe Biden following the tit-for-tat tariff war arising from US steel tariffs during Trump's first term. Trump has also imposed 25 percent tariffs on EU-made cars and 10 percent on all EU imports.

The 10 percent tariff is expected to remain in place until July 9, when Trump's 90-day pause of reciprocal tariffs expires.

The EU also suspended for 90 days its 25 percent retaliatory tariffs in response to US steel tariffs despite the fact that Trump did not pause the steel and aluminum tariffs.

Trump had rejected the EU's offer of zero-for-zero tariff for industrial goods. The EU has also offered to buy more US energy and weapons. But the gap between the two sides is still huge, such as regarding EU rules on agricultural goods and digital services.

Shortly after Trump's threat, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News on Friday that the "EU proposals have not been of the same quality that we've seen from our other important trading partners".

"I'm not going to negotiate on TV, but I would hope that this would light a fire under the EU," he said.

Lutnick, the US commerce secretary, last month criticized EU regulations for preventing US meat and chicken from entering the single market due to the use of hormones deemed unsafe by the EU.

'Not up for negotiation'

Sefcovic told the European media recently that EU standards on agriculture and food are "not up for negotiation".

French Foreign Trade Minister Laurent Saint-Martin said on Friday that Trump's latest tariff threats "do not help at all during the negotiation period between the EU and the US".

"We maintain the same stance: de-escalation but are ready to respond," he wrote on X.

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof told reporters that he supported the EU's strategy in trade talks, saying "we have seen before that tariffs can go up and down in talks with the US".

German Economy Minister Katherina Reiche said the EU "must do everything" to reach a solution with the US.

Noting that "tariff conflicts know no winners," Reiche said, "Tariffs harm the United States and the EU in equal measure."

The EU on May 8 proposed countermeasures on up to 95 billion euros ($108 billion) of US imports if bilateral negotiations fail to revoke Trump's various tariffs. The EU measures target US wine, bourbon whiskey and other spirits, fish, aircraft, cars, chemicals, electrical equipment, health products and machinery.

A 50 percent levy on EU imports could raise consumer prices on everything from German cars to Italian olive oil, Reuters reported.

The EU's total exports to the United States last year totaled about 500 billion euros. Pharmaceuticals, cars and auto parts, chemicals and aircraft were among the largest exports, according to EU data.

Agencies and Xinhua contributed to this story.