MNI BRIEF: EC Preparing Response To US Tariffs: Von Der Leyen

Brussels is ready to negotiate with the US to reduce barriers to EU-US trade but is already preparing countermeasures to the 20% tariffs on EU imports which President Trump announced on Wednesday evening, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement. 

The EC chief said she agreed with Trump that some countries had been taking "unfair advantage" of the current rules of the global trading system, but insisted that tariffs were not the way to fix the problem.

She also said that the EU was ready to continue negotiations to find a solution and was ready to work towards reducing the remaining barriers to transatlantic trade. Von der Leyen added the EU would closely watch for any indirect effects of the US tariffs, saying that the bloc could not absorb global overcapacity and would not tolerate "dumping" on its markets.