Europe will respond to any additional tariffs by the U.S. in ‘the same vein,’ German ambassador says

The European Union does not want to enter into a trade war with the U.S., but intends to respond to any additional tariffs that are imposed by Washington, the German ambassador to the U.S. said on Wednesday.

Ambassador Emily Haber’s comments came on the heels of President Trump’s renewed threat to impose 25% tariffs on European cars if a trade deal between the EU and U.S. is not agreed to.

Ms. Haber said Europe intends to respond “in the same dimension and the same vein” if the U.S. were to hit the bloc with more tariffs.

Speaking alongside the German ambassador at an event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, French Ambassador to the U.S. Philippe Etienne said, “It is not in our interest to have an escalation of tariffs.”

He warned that a dispute over tariffs would hurt the economies of both the U.S. and EU.

Hours earlier, Mr. Trump said the U.S. will seek a trade deal with the EU now that he’s signed a phase-one deal with China and negotiated with North American partners.

Speaking to CNBC on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Mr. Trump said Europe has taken advantage of the U.S. for too long and reissued his threat to levy car imports if the EU does not participate in trade negotiations.