For Europe, doubling down on its relationship with China could come at a steep price—including the loss of its storied auto industry.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described U.S. President Donald Trump's universal tariffs as a major blow to the world economy and said the European Union was prepared to respond with countermeasures if talks with Washington failed.

PARIS (Reuters) - The European Union should not respond to U.S. President Donald Trump's reciprocal tariffs with exactly the same counter-measures as it would impact EU consumers, French Finance Minister Eric Lombard said on Friday.

European leaders have said they would prefer to negotiate. If that fails, their response could go beyond anything they’ve tried before.

European Union trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic said on Friday that he told U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer that U.S tariffs were unjustified. "A frank 2h exchange with Sec.

While the majority of European leaders were quick to condemn the US tariffs, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto laid the blame squarely at the EU's feet. Hungary's leader, Viktor Orban, is widely seen as Trump's biggest ally in Europe.

France’s finance minister said the European Union shouldn’t respond to President Trump's reciprocal tariffs with similar countermeasures as it would hurt Europe’s economy and consumers. "We are working on a package of responses that can go beyond tariffs to bring the U.

Some Europeans have acknowledged U.S. grievances over trade but wonder whether the Trump administration is serious about finding a middle ground.

The European Union is dialing back the pace of its planned retaliation against U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs, a senior official said Thursday. The move comes after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned trading partners might risk still higher levies if they retaliate.