Global unity can triumph over trade tyranny

European Union trade ministers meeting in Luxembourg on Monday struggled to reach an agreement on how to respond firmly and effectively to the so-called reciprocal tariffs of the United States that will hit a significant part of their exports.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic have tried to cut a deal with the US administration by offering zero-for-zero tariffs between the EU and the US for cars and industrial goods. But that offer was rejected outright by the US president, who insisted that the EU should buy $350 billion in US energy to close the trade deficit.

The EU has been preparing countermeasures. But the trade ministers seem to have only agreed on imposing tariffs of up to 25 percent on a broad range of US exports in response to the US levies on steel and aluminum, with EU states to vote on the plan on Wednesday.