‘70% of our exports to USA will be affected. This is estimated at around € 380 billion and the total duties received by the US for EU exports. It is just over $ 81 billion if we compare the amount of duties collected by the US so far from EU exports, which was about 7 billion, is obviously a huge jump, “says a top European official.

For this reason, and because the traditional “ally” “has” disappointed “their Europeans According to the president of the Commission, Brussels are already looking for other commercial partners from whom they will buy products, which have been imported from the US so far.

‘We love soy, but we can buy it from Brazil. We no longer need to import from the US. We like, of course, Harley-Davidson and Moto Guzzi. Or Yamaha. There are alternatives, ”said senior European officials. Brussels are now turning their attention to new partnerships by looking at … to those who are equally affected by US duties: Mexico, Mercosur countries, India, Southeast Asia and more.

A crisis of trust

The word “key” is now “trust”. “We are looking for partners we can trust,” European officials said.

It is a “MAT” move, but it is late, perhaps because of the naivety that has always had the “bloc” that Washington would always be a “credible” partner and while knowing Trump’s intentions from his first term. As with the security part, the EU wakes up slowly from a constant “lethargy”.

There is also a long -awaited “response” to Trump’s “punitive” duties. One of the first “threats” of the US president against the EU before even swearing, Brussels stated that they were all ready to answer against “unjust” measures.

Hope in negotiation

Her first countermeasures Europe The duties on steel and aluminum imports, announced on March 12, will be imposed almost a month later, on April 9, followed by those for car duties and on the “offspring” duties, on April 2, on Trump.

“We want to give time to the negotiations,” explain top European officials, while noting that the huge size of the impact on the EU economy must be carefully evaluated and valued. A very reasonable argument, but what they do not publicly admit is the “pressures” that the Commission has received from various Member States to “target” specific products, such as France for US Burbon, amid US “threats” for up to 200% of duties in wines.

Can they stay united?

The biggest “bet” for the EU is not the “response” to his duties Trump. This will happen at some point, even if it may be more effective.

Maintaining the “unity” of the “block” of 27 is the one that is also at stake in this case. After all, the US president is to “break” what he does not recognize anyway as a “entity” with bilateral -as he already announces -agreements. It is up to Europeans to propose the strengthening of their union against their domestic interests. Will they do it?