The US tariffs on steel and aluminium imports will trigger countermeasures from the EU, the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, promised in a statement on Tuesday.
"I deeply regret the US decision to impose tariffs on European steel and aluminum exports. Tariffs are taxes - bad for business, worse for consumers," said von der Leyen.
US President Donald Trump officially imposed – "without exceptions" – a 25% tariff on steel and aluminium imports into the US. "This is the beginning of making America rich again," Trump said while officially signing the additional steel tariffs.
Set to come into effect on 12 March, the measures are the latest escalation of what is setting up to be an international trade war. They had previously been announced by Trump on Sunday, but the Commission confirmed on Monday that it had yet to receive an official notification.
In a press release on Tuesday, von der Leyen promised the EU would respond to Trump's decision: "Unjustified tariffs on the EU will not go unanswered – they will trigger firm and proportionate countermeasures."
The President of the European Steel Association (EUROFER), Henrik Adam, denounced Trump's decision and called for a "decisive" response from the EU, in a press release on Tuesday.
Adam warned against the tariffs' consequences for "an already dire" market: "The U.S. is the second biggest export market for EU steel producers, representing 16% of the total EU steel exports in 2024. Losing a significant part of these exports cannot be compensated by EU exports to other markets," he said.
While yet to clarify what the response will entail, the Commission President underscored that the EU "will act to safeguard its economic interests" and "protect our workers, businesses and consumers."
