EU Commission President von der Leyen stated they are prepared to retaliate strongly against the tariffs imposed by the US. At the plenary session of the European Parliament (EP) held in Strasbourg, European Union (EU) Commission President Ursula von der Leyen discussed the trade relations and new tariffs with the US. Von der Leyen emphasized that Europe did not initiate the customs duty conflict and said, “We consider the tariffs as wrong. Today my message to you is that we have all we need to protect our people and prosperity.” Highlighting that the EU has the world’s largest single market, von der Leyen underlined that they will negotiate with tariffs and resist them, stating, “We will always defend our interests and values.” Reminding that the US administration has announced a 25% customs duty on steel, aluminum, automobiles, and automobile parts imports, von der Leyen indicated that the next sectors to face tariffs would be semiconductors, medicines, and timber. Von der Leyen suggested that the US will announce “reciprocal tariffs” to be applied to almost all goods and many countries in the world tomorrow. She pointed out that there are many issues and imbalances in the trading world, but they need to fight against them together. Von der Leyen warned that generally implementing tariffs will make things worse, stating, “Tariffs are taxes paid by the public. Tariffs will only fuel inflation.” Von der Leyen mentioned that the negotiation is the first element within the EU’s strategy against tariffs and expressed their willingness to discuss these issues. Von der Leyen stated, “We are prepared to take countermeasures,” indicating that all options are on the table. Stressing that they are in close contact with the leaders of EU member countries regarding the next steps concerning tariffs, von der Leyen said, “We will carefully evaluate the announcements of the US tomorrow and adjust our response. Our goal is to find a solution through negotiation. If necessary, we will protect our interests, people, and companies. I want to be very clear about the purpose of our response. We believe this confrontation is in nobody’s interest.” Reminding that a constructive solution benefits everyone, von der Leyen said, “Europe did not initiate this conflict. We do not necessarily want to retaliate. However, we have a strong plan in case we need to retaliate, and we will.” Von der Leyen concluded by stating that they will continue diversifying trade with other partners and deepen the single market.