A significant portion of Western Europeans are in favor of imposing retaliatory tariffs against the US, as revealed by a recent survey, particularly if Donald Trump follows through with extensive import duties for major trading partners, which is anticipated this week.
The US president seems poised to announce a series of tariffs, differing by country, this Wednesday, which he has dubbed Liberation Day. He also mentioned last week that a 25% tariff on vehicles imported to the US would take effect the following day.
Numerous European businesses are likely to suffer considerable losses. Companies like Germany’s automotive firms and France’s luxury goods industries, including wine, champagne, and spirits producers, depend on exports to the US for as much as 20% of their revenue.
The EU has already committed to a “timely, robust and calibrated” response to the plans from Washington, which experts warn may lead to reduced production, increased prices, and the escalation of a trade conflict. Following Trump’s announcement that what he refers to as “reciprocal tariffs”—claiming that trade partners are unfairly disadvantaging the US—would not be limited to countries with significant trade deficits, global markets and the dollar saw a decline on Monday.
A YouGov survey conducted across Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and the UK discovered that, should the US tariffs proceed, large majorities—from 79% in Denmark to 56% in Italy—support retaliatory measures on US imports.
In both Germany, where automakers like Porsche, BMW, and Mercedes could face significant profit reductions, and France, where US sales of wines and spirits are valued at nearly €4 billion (£3.4 billion) annually, 68% of respondents favored retaliation.
Participants from all seven surveyed nations expressed support for a tit-for-tat approach, despite anticipated damage to their national economies; 75% of Germans predicted “a lot” or “a fair amount” of impact.
This perception was echoed by 71% of respondents in Spain, 70% in France and Italy, 62% in Sweden, 60% in the UK, and half of the Danes surveyed, which took place in mid-March.
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Among the six EU nations surveyed, a significant number, ranging from 60% in Denmark to 76% in Spain, believed US tariffs would adversely affect the broader EU economy. This sentiment was echoed by 74% of German and 68% of French respondents.
Trump, who was elected in part due to his pledge to revive American industry, has consistently claimed that the EU has treated the US “very unfairly” regarding trade matters. He also stated in February that the bloc of 27 nations was “formed to screw the United States.”
Pluralities or majorities in all six EU countries surveyed—ranging from 67% in Denmark to 53% in Germany, and down to 41% in France and 40% in Italy—disagreed with him, while only 7% to 18% justified his views.
