The European Parliament's top trade lawmaker told DW that the EU's retaliation to sweeping new US tariffs announced by President Donald Trump will likely be ready in one month. Bernd Lange said it will target American textiles, agricultural and industrial goods.
00:54And let's see if it's necessary to put services in this package as well.
01:00It's really depending on the volume and on the structure.
01:04Of course, our legislation is open to that. Let's see.
01:10There are also even harder measures the European Union could take, like the anti-coercive tool.
01:17Do you think which would then also restrict market access for U.S. firms in the European Union, for example?
01:24Do you think that this is something which will come in the near future?
01:29I hope not, but it's there.
01:32I was a rapporteur for this anti-coercion instrument and if necessary will use it.
01:37This gives, of course, a lot of possibilities to restrict participation in public procurement, market access restriction, some elements regarding intellectual property rights and so on.
01:51And we will use it if it's clear that the United States is pushing us in a coercive way to change our legislation.
01:59This is not acceptable.
02:01The European Union had time. Now it will take another month.
02:05Do you think to have more countermeasures, do you think that this is going to impress the U.S. or like going to change their course?
02:13I'm not the mindset of President Trump, but we have a democratic process and we will not really escalate the process.
02:24We will look to our damage and then construct our framework for countermeasures.
02:31This takes, of course, time. We are serious.
02:35One month is not so much compared to other processes inside the European Union.
02:41Mr. Lange, thank you very much for your time.
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