EU Prepares for Expanded Trade Conflict with US

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has issued a stark warning to the United States, indicating the European Union's readiness to broaden the ongoing trade dispute to include services and the technology sector. This move comes as negotiations with US President Donald Trump appear to be at a standstill.

Retaliatory Measures Under Development

Von der Leyen revealed to the Financial Times that the EU is in the process of developing countermeasures. These could mark the first application of the bloc's anticoercion tool, potentially impacting US services exports. "There's a wide range of countermeasures... in case the negotiations are not satisfactory," she stated.

A Turning Point in Global Trade

The EU leader also highlighted the broader implications of the US tariffs, describing them as a significant "inflection point in global trade." She cautioned that such actions would result in no winners, only losers, emphasizing the heavy costs of the current uncertainty and chaos in international trade relations.