Habek pointed to the negative impact of US duties on global trade.

Statements by US President Donald Trump about a possible increase in duties pose a threat to the global trading system and require a consolidated response from the European Union (EU). This was announced on April 7 by Acting Minister of Economy of Germany Robert Habeck.

"These are isolationist measures that [Trump] has taken, causing serious damage to the global economy. Stock markets are already collapsing, and the damage can only increase," Habek said before a meeting of the EU Council of Ministers on trade.

He stressed that in the current situation, it is especially important for Europe to remain united. In his opinion, the EU countries should not try to bargain for their advantages separately, because this can lead to failure. He recalled that those who in the past tried to get rid of US duties through compliance still faced restrictions.

Habek also said that the European Union should carefully study the vulnerabilities of the American market and prepare a comprehensive response that goes beyond a simple tariff policy.

"The Americans have exempted some types of products from duties, for example, pharmaceuticals. That is, we see where they are vulnerable, and now we can put pressure on them by raising the prices of our exports to the United States in order to increase pressure on the American market," he said.

Habek also noted that it is necessary to carefully consider the tools against economic coercion. According to him, we are talking about a wide range of measures that go far beyond the scope of duty policy.

He explained that they include digital services, but are not limited solely to the tax on them, and stressed that these measures should also be prepared in advance.

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On the same day, Trump announced the absence of inflation in the United States against the background of the imposition of duties. He also added that the United States receives "multibillion-dollar" revenues from the duties imposed on the countries. In addition, he called on the US Federal Reserve System (FRS) to lower interest rates.

On April 2, Trump announced large-scale measures: base tariffs of 10% are being introduced for all products supplied to the United States. For the EU, this figure has been raised to 20%, and for China — to 34%. In his speech, the president called April 2 the day when Americans will become rich again.

The next day, Georgy Ostapkovich, director of the HSE Center for Economic Research and Economic Analysis, said that the introduction of US duties on imported goods could trigger a chain reaction that could lead to a global financial crisis.