European Economy Commissioner Valdis Dobrovskis said today (23.4.2025) that European Union will not abandon her commercial cooperation with USAalthough it intends to conclude new partnerships as part of the trade war that Donald Trump launched.
“The European Union does not abandon its narrower, deeper and more important cooperation, one it has with the US,” Dobrovskis said at the Spring Summit of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank in Washington. This is an economic and commercial relationship estimated at $ 9.5 trillion, he said.
Since returning to power, Donald Trump has imposed 10% duties on most countries around the world, including the EU, which has also threatened to tougher measures in case of retaliation. The US president also introduced 25% additional tariffs in some areas such as steel and aluminum and cars imported into the US.
However, Dobrovskis insisted today that Washington and Brussels should need each other even more “in an increasingly conflicting and competitive world”.
Although the Union seeks to deepen existing corporate relations, it will also “create new people around the world to boost our economic security inside,” the European Commissioner for Economy added.
As he said, the EU’s first preference is to achieve a solution through the US negotiations on trade, but if the discussions do not lead to a solution, the EU will respond with countermeasures.
Brussels hopes for a lifting of US duties in steel, aluminum and cars through an agreement.
EU officials have avoided a harsh rhetoric against Trump arrows about US-EU trade and underline the need for credible and predictable trade relations. On April 10, Brussels carried out the first countermeasures against Trump duties that were frozen for 90 days, but European Commission President Ursula von der Laien stressed that all options remain on the table in countermeasures.
To defend our “Venerable Republics”
The European Economy Commissioner said the EU has already been offered to buy more American liquefied natural gas (LNG) and reduce duties to certain goods and added that Brussels would welcome more clearly by the US government on its pursuit.
He added that the European bloc is and will remain a reliable and predictable commercial partner.
The 27 bloc has already entered into trade agreements with 76 countries, has recently completed talks on new or enhanced partnerships with Mexico, Switzerland and four South American countries in Mercosur, continuing negotiations with India, Thailand, the Philippines and the Filippians and the United States. “These trade agreements seek to create Win-Win collaborations, which are reliable and rules-based,” he said.
In the context of security and defense, Trump “was right that Europe had to take responsibility for its safety,” the European official said.
According to him, the EU “must take on the fair share of weight with the NATO allies, and in particular the US.” “We are also determined to support Ukraine in its war against Russian aggression until a fair and lasting peace is achieved,” he said.
Noting that Europe has been “left behind” by the US and China in some advanced technologies, Dobrovskis said the European bloc has determined to cover this difference as a strategic priority.
At the same time, he noted that in times of turmoil, predictability, rule of law and the willingness to adhere to the rules based on international order become the biggest advantages of Europe. “We are committed to doing what we need to defend our” boring democracies “, because” boring “brings certainty and safe refuge when this class based on rules is questioned elsewhere.”
Source: RES – EIA