FT said there could be a split in the EU on retaliatory measures in the event of US duties

In the case of imposition of duties by the United States in the European Union (EU) may be split on the issue of retaliatory measures. The Financial Times (FT) reported on February 5.

"The EU is preparing for a potential trade war with US President Donald Trump. However, despite careful preparations for countermeasures, their use could lead to a split in the unity of the bloc," the piece said.

According to the newspaper, the sharp retaliatory measures of the EU may force Trump to increase pressure on vulnerable sectors of the economy of European countries. Among such noted metallurgy and agriculture.

In this regard, some member countries of the association have already begun to develop response strategies. According to an unnamed European official, the government is buying American fighter jets and looking for ways to expand imports of liquefied natural gas in order to "placate" the United States.

Meanwhile, Dutch Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Renet Clever shared that she plans to travel to the United States in March to talk to the Trump administration about protecting Amsterdam's interests.

"The worst solution would be for every member state to try to establish its own relationship with the USA", Laurent Saint-Martin, minister-delegate for foreign trade and French citizens abroad, told the FT.

How high is the threat of a trade war between the US, EU and China. Parsing

The US president signed an executive order on February 1 imposing trade tariffs of 25% on goods from Canada, China and Mexico. Then he also promised to impose duties on goods from the EU. With this decision, Trump seeks to reduce the flow of the opioid fentanyl across the border, as well as the flow of migrants.

Later, on February 3, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that the EU should react strongly if Trump imposes duties on European goods. According to her, everyone should respect the sovereignty of all states.

On the same day, the head of European diplomacy Kaja Kallas said that the EU is preparing for a possible trade war with the US. According to her, in case of a trade war, "the only one who will laugh" will be China.