Sweden: U.S. Tariffs on European Products Could Ignite Trade Conflict
(MENAFN) Sweden's Foreign Trade Minister Benjamin Dousa delivered a sharp rebuke Monday against the United States' recent decision to hike tariffs on European Union products, warning the escalation could ignite a serious trade conflict.
Speaking in Brussels ahead of an emergency summit of EU trade ministers, Dousa labeled Washington’s move to enforce a 30% tariff on EU imports starting August 1 as “unfortunate, unacceptable and surprising.”
“The US has escalated the situation on several levels now, and we cannot rule out that they will drag us into a trade war,” Dousa told a public broadcaster.
According to Dousa, the EU had made significant progress in its trade discussions with Washington and was nearing a preliminary deal when the White House unexpectedly took a confrontational step.
“30% is obviously not something that we from Europe can accept. We have always tried to get a negotiated solution that we can all live with, but then the White House still chooses this path and I think that is unfortunate,” he said.
Describing the situation as increasingly unpredictable, Dousa added: “There are new messages from the White House every hour and every other day, so it's hard to speculate on exactly what they're thinking. But we have to prepare for the worst.”
Despite growing tensions, Dousa noted that the EU has not retaliated to date, underscoring the bloc’s commitment to following established international trade protocols.
He stated that in reaction to the US tariffs, the EU is preparing a two-tiered counterstrategy.
“We had voted through a countermeasure package of 20 billion euros and are preparing a package of 70 billion euros in parallel,” Dousa said.
As part of a broader pivot, the EU is also exploring new economic alliances to reduce dependence on volatile trade partners.
“At today's meeting we will also talk about opening new markets, via free trade agreements with, for example, South America, India and Indonesia,” he added.
The tariff announcement came Saturday, when President Donald Trump declared on Truth Social that the US would impose 30% duties on imports from the EU and Mexico starting August 1. The sudden move threatens to derail ongoing trade talks, which the EU had hoped to conclude with a comprehensive agreement this month.
Trump’s post included letters addressed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, formally notifying them of the tariffs.
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