**EU Threatens Retaliation Against US Tariff Plan**
The European Commission has warned that it will take retaliatory measures if the US goes ahead with its plan to impose a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum imports.
US President Donald Trump said last week that Washington would announce tariffs on steel and aluminum imports into the US later this week. The EU’s executive arm said it had not received any official notification about the tariffs, but vowed to protect European businesses, workers, and consumers from what it called “unjustified measures”.
The European Commission criticized the decision as “unlawful and economically counterproductive”. It argued that the deeply integrated supply chains between the EU and the US would suffer under such restrictions.
**Trade Dispute**
This is not the first time there has been a trade dispute over steel and aluminum tariffs. Trump’s administration imposed duties on nearly $7 billion worth of European steel and aluminum exports in 2018, citing national security concerns. The EU retaliated with tariffs on American goods.
A temporary truce was reached in 2021 under the Biden administration, but Trump’s latest move threatens to reignite the trade dispute.
**French President Warns**
French President Emmanuel Macron warned that tariffs on EU goods could backfire on the US economy by driving inflation. He urged Washington to focus on confronting China, managing the Middle East crisis, and supporting Ukraine rather than engaging in a “trade war” with its European allies.
**Other Executive Orders**
The announcement comes amid a flurry of executive orders from Trump’s administration in his first weeks back in office. These include freezing foreign aid, tightening immigration policies, and conducting a widespread purge of federal agencies.
The freeze on foreign aid has already affected key organizations in Ukraine, including independent media and efforts to repair the country’s energy infrastructure.
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