“We will negotiate from a strong standpoint,” Commissioner von der Leyen said

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks at the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France on the 1st (local time). <Photo = AFP Yonhap News> 사진 확대

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks at the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France on the 1st (local time).

The European Union (EU) announced that it is preparing a strong retaliatory plan, including big tech sanctions, ahead of the U.S. announcement of mutual tariffs.

According to the Financial Times (FT) on the 1st (local time), EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned in a speech to the European Parliament that “If U.S. President Donald Trump imposes mutual tariffs on all imports, he is ready to hit U.S. big tech companies and other service exports.”

The EU will negotiate from a strong standpoint, he said. “Europe has many cards, from trade to technology and market size.” “However, this strength is also based on the fact that we are ready to take firm countermeasures,” he continued, stressing that “all means are on the table.”

The FT noted that the EU could hurt service exports, a trade sector in which the United States is in the black. For example, it is possible to exclude U.S. companies from public procurement contracts or restrict U.S. financial service companies from accessing their own markets.

However, “Tariffs will stimulate inflation, reduce U.S. jobs, and create an administrative monster of new customs procedures,” Lien said, adding, “We hope that negotiations will take place (before the imposition of tariffs).”

Earlier, the EU announced that it would impose retaliatory tariffs on a total of 26 billion euros (about 41 trillion won) worth of U.S. goods in two stages on April 1 and 13 in response to U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs. However, the EU has postponed the first phase of retaliatory tariffs against the United States.

The EU is determined to seek a solution with the US by mid-April after observing the US mutual tariff announcement scheduled for the 2nd. It has not yet announced countermeasures against the 25% auto tariffs announced on the 26th of last month.