EU ministers criticize US-UK trade deal
According to webangah News Agency, EU trade ministers have voiced criticism of the recent UK-US trade deal, cautioning that the bloc could impose countermeasures against washington unless better terms are achieved.
The reaction follows last week’s limited agreement between U.S. President Donald Trump and British prime Minister Keir Starmer. The deal maintains a 10% baseline tariff on UK exports to America while partially reducing higher tariffs on steel and automotive sectors.
Trump has imposed a series of tariffs targeting European automakers and metal producers. On April 2, he announced plans for steep tariff increases on all EU imports before temporarily reducing them to 10% for 90 days to allow negotiation time.
“If what Britain got is what Europe gets too, then the U.S. should expect retaliatory actions from us,” Swedish trade Minister Benjamin Dusa told reporters in Brussels ahead of Thursday’s EU trade ministers meeting.
Dusa argued the deal barely qualifies as a “trade agreement,” noting that “the 10% baseline tariff remains firmly in place.”
French Trade Minister Laurent Saint-Martin urged caution, stating the EU shouldn’t consider merely maintaining reciprocal tariffs at 10% as inherently “good news.”
Polish representative Michał Baranowski said the bloc would be “dissatisfied” with similar terms as Britain’s,adding: “I believe we can achieve a better deal then accepting these relatively high tariffs.”
The European Commission last week outlined potential countermeasures targeting up to €95 billion ($106 billion) worth of U.S. goods should negotiations with Washington reach an impasse.
