EU vows ‘firm and proportionate countermeasures’ against latest Trump tariffs – Europe live

Opening Day 2 of the AI Action Summit in Paris, French president Macron makes a reference to the 1937 Expo held there, saying that the French Nobel prize winning physicist Jean Baptiste Perrin used the event to “embrace progress and succeed in having science at the service of humanity.”

“This is exactly our challenge with artificial intelligence,” he says.

But before we cover the Paris event, let’s very quickly take a look at what German chancellor Olaf Scholz said in the Bundestag this morning, at the last discussion on current affairs in the parliament before the election of 23 February.

Speaking about the prospect of US tariffs, he said:

If the US does not give us any other choice, the EU will respond as one. As the largest market in the world, with 450 million citizens, we have the strength to do so.

But I hope that we are spared the misguided path of tariffs and countertariffs. In the end, trade wars always cost both sides prosperity.

But in an highly political speech, as you would expect just weeks before the vote, he also repeatedly took aim at opposition leader Friedrich Merz, accusing him of “U-turns” on a number of issues, including German support for Ukraine, energy and the economy.

He also once again used his attack line that Merz’s CDU/CSU proposals on migration were “madness” as they would break the EU’s unity.

“If the EU is targeted by American tariffs … then we are more dependant on European solidarity than any other country. Do you think this solidarity will be there if Germany deliberately breaks European law and closes its borders? Do not be naive,” he says.

French president Emmanuel Macron is on stage now.

I will bring you the latest here, but you can also follow the live stream here:

EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič has also just been speaking about US tariffs in the European Parliament, calling them “economically counterproductive,” “bad for businesses, worse for consumers,” and “raising costs for [US] businesses and fueling inflation.”

He said the bloc was “assessing the scope of the measures announced overnight,” but “will be responding in a firm and proportionate way with countermeasures.”

Here is what he said:

Europe faces an increasingly complex world marked by, among other things, rivalry and unpredictability that impacts our trade relations around the world in the EU.

Turning to our relations with the United States, unfortunately, tariffs came back.

Overnight, the President of the United States signed a proclamation imposing 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports into the US as from 12 March; he has also announced reciprocal tariffs on other products coming this week.

We deeply regret these decisions and announcements. The EU sees no justification for the imposition of tariffs on our exports, which is economically counterproductive, especially given the deeply integrated production chains established through our extensive transatlantic trade and investment ties.

Tariffs are taxes: bad for businesses, worse for consumers, and by imposing tariffs, the US will be taxing its own citizens, raising costs for its own businesses and fueling inflation. In addition, tariffs are not only harmful for the trading partners directly involved, but also risk having disruptive effects for many others, as well as the global trading system as a whole. Put simply, it is a lose-lose scenario. …

We are currently assessing the scope of the measures announced overnight, and will be responding in a firm and proportionate way by countermeasures.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has just responded to US tariffs on aluminium and steel announced overnight, saying the bloc will respond with “firm and proportionate countermeasures.”

Here is what she said:

I deeply regret the US decision to impose tariffs on European steel and aluminium exports.

Tariffs are taxes – bad for business, worse for consumers.

Unjustified tariffs on the EU will not go unanswered – they will trigger firm and proportionate countermeasures.

The EU will act to safeguard its economic interests. We will protect our workers, businesses and consumers.

Jakub Krupa

Now, an immediate disclaimer on that advice I got from chatbots.

New research found that leading artificial intelligence assistants create distortions, factual inaccuracies and misleading content in response to questions about news and current affairs.

More than half of the AI-generated answers provided by ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini and Perplexity were judged to have “significant issues”, according to the study by the BBC.

So, be warned, don’t automatically trust whatever you get from bots, and always double check it with reputable sources, of course.

(Not entirely sure if this presence of distortions, factual inaccuracies and misleading content would necessarily be a problem when dealing with Trump, though.)

Morning opening: The Art of the Deal

Jakub Krupa

US president Donald Trump has overnight confirmed his plan to impose tariffs on all aluminium and steel imports from everywhere in the world, including Europe.

Most steel used in the US comes from Mexico and Canada, with smaller numbers from Asia and Europe, with German manufacturers worried about indirect consequences if Chinese or Indonesian steel gets diverted to Europe. Italy and Spain are concerned, too.

But there is also a clear political question: how should the EU respond?

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and French president Emmanuel Macron will meet with US vice-president JD Vance today, on the sidelines of the AI Action Summit in Paris. It will be their first formal meeting since the inauguration of the new US administration last month.

Keeping with the theme, I have asked various AI models to take on the role of a European leader and offer suggestions on how to respond to Trump’s increasingly assertive trade policy.

It turns out that models do seem to reflect the way policymaking is now being done in respective geographies.

French Mistral AI’s Le Chat has offered me a rather bland “European Commission officials on a working trip to Brugge” type of response (also making me think of the “let’s do away with computers” scene from the brilliant British TV series the Thick of It).

It told me – and I swear to God, this is verbatim from its answers – to “present a unified front”, “show solidarity with the member states,” and engage in “high-level dialogue,” before considering “targeted retaliatory measures” and filing a complaint to the World Trade Organization. Oh, and to “invest in innovation” to “enhance the competitiveness of European industries.”

So good, it could be leaked from an EU official’s inbox, and we would not know.

When I asked for unorthodox solutions, it told me to organise a “flashmob” (are they even still a thing in 2025?), record “viral videos,” and buy a billboard in a US city to “raise awareness” about the impact of tariffs. Yeah, good luck with that.

American OpenAI’s ChatGPT struck was notably (way) more bullish, directing me to “play the Art of the Deal against Trump” and convince him we can get “a big, beautiful deal,” potentially even named after him, and claim it is “the best in history,” while actually getting whatever we want for Europe.

“Instead of reacting defensively, we should go on the offensive,” it said, adding that we should also retaliate with expansive tariffs but suspend their application to “leave uncertainty hanging over US businesses” and essentially scare Trump into submission.

It then told me to “publicly praise his brilliant negotiating skills while quietly working around him,” and “use exaggerated flattery to make him think removing tariffs was his idea all along” by forcing him to “meet his erratic behaviour with controlled unpredictability of our own.”

“He may not play by the rules, but that doesn’t mean we can’t beat him at his own game,” it concluded.

Someone better send that to Ursula and Emmanuel before they meet with Vance for a Parisian lunch.

It’s Tuesday, 11 February 2025, and this is Europe live. It’s Jakub Krupa here.

Good morning.