EU to react swiftly if Trump slaps tariffs on EU cars

The European Union said that its reaction will be “swift and adequate” if US authorities conclude that European cars are a threat to national security and should be hit with punitive tariffs.

The US Commerce Department is expected to issue soon an opinion on whether auto imports endanger US national security enough to justify import taxes. US President Donald Trump would then have 90 days to decide whether to impose them, AP reported.

Chief spokesperson of the European Commission, Margaritis Schinas, said on Monday that if the US goes ahead with “actions detrimental to European exports, the European Commission would react in a swift and adequate manner.”

The EU and the US have been trying to work out a trade deal but progress has been slow.

EU governments were shell-shocked last year when Trump imposed tariffs on metals imports as part of his “America First” protectionist vision.

Brussels responded by slapping counter-tariffs on more than $3 billion in US exports like blue jeans and Harley-davidson motorcycles.

But Trump and European Commission President Jean-claude Juncker in July called a truce, agreeing that as both sides pursued a trade deal, neither would impose additional tariffs.