Following US President Donald Trump’s tariff announcement, the EU finds itself delicately poised between calm, worry and assertiveness.
Europe is desperate to avoid an escalating trade war but wants to warn the Trump administration it can hit back hard to get leverage in an expected negotiation period.
Maintaining that balance and unity of purpose while the foundations of global trade start to crumble will be no small feat.
The EU is already concerned about a flood of electrical goods from China and Vietnam after those countries were hit by higher tariffs than expected.
While Trump slapped a blanket 20% tariff on most EU exports, some member states and…