French trade minister flags defensive trade tools for Trump presidency

euronews (in English)

As the 27 trade ministers gathered for the first time since Donald Trump's re-election, the use of defensive trade tools against the US could be an option in case of Trump's aggressive trade policy, according to French minister Sophie Primas.

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00:00One of the EU's main fears with the re-election of Donald Trump in the United States is a

00:05return to a movement of trade instability. Protectionism or increased tariffs on European

00:12products are among the bloc's fears. The EU says it is willing to work with Washington.

00:18At Thursday's meeting of trade ministers in Brussels, the bloc sought to show unity.

00:22There was an overall agreement among ministers that we must strive to work proactively with

00:30the new US administration on transatlantic trade and investment relations.

00:36The United States is one of the EU's largest trading partners. In 2021, transatlantic trade

00:42reached an all-time high of 1.2 trillion euros.

00:46Nobody wants a trade war. We are having a positive attitude towards the United States.

00:53We both benefit from trade and the transatlantic relationship is very important for the EU

01:01and also for the US.

01:02During the campaign, Trump promised to impose 10% tariffs on EU exports and threatened that

01:09the bloc would have to pay a big price if it did not buy US goods.

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