showed on Monday its willingness to a “robust” and “constructive” dialogue with the United States, but assured that it is prepared to “respond firmly” to any unjust or arbitrary attack.

“The EU is prepared for a solid but constructive dialogue with the United States, although we also recognize the possible challenges in the relationship with the US. USA and we are prepared so that, when we are attacked unfairly or arbitrarily, the EU will respond firmly,” said the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, at the end of an informal meeting of community leaders.

The Twenty-Seven met in Brussels to mainly address how to build a more autonomous defense policy and strengthen their military industrial base with more cooperation, but they spent much of the day talking about transatlantic relations.

The meeting took place after the President of the United States US, Donald Trump, decided to impose tariffs of 25% on Canada and Mexico and 10% on China, and to ensure that he would also apply taxes on the European Union.

Von der Leyen said at a press conference at the end of the meeting that the community leaders spoke, “first of all,” of the transatlantic partnership, which “remains our most important relationship” and is “fundamental to promote peace, security and prosperity.”

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CEL

“And with the backdrop that we know there is a lot at stake, we have discussed ways to strengthen very pragmatic cooperation with the United States,” he commented, while recognizing that “it is evident that there are new challenges and growing uncertainties.”

German policy alluded to the fact that “this weekend we have witnessed the imposition of very high tariffs on Canada and Mexico,” and in that context he said that “those tariffs raise business costs, harm workers and consumers, create unnecessary economic disruptions and drive inflation.”

“We don’t see anything good coming out of all this, so we give priority to productive debates and commit early,” Von der Leyen said.

The president of the Commission also assured that the EU “stays firm in its multilateral commitments,” whether it is its development aid or our climate objectives, and assured that they are “fully aware that we have our own challenges to master.”

“We have to do our homework. So today it has also become very clear that we will focus on the competitiveness of the European Union,” as the Commission has exposed in its recently presented strategy known as the “Buss of Competitiveness”.

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CEL

For his part, the President of the European Council, António Costa, assured that the United States “is our friend, our ally and our partner.”

“It is a relationship that has deep roots and will last over time; problems and differences of opinion can also arise between friends,” he said.

When those differences emerge, he said, he advocated “approaching them to talk and find solutions,” but “defending our values, maintaining our principles and without compromising our own interests.”

“Those universal values and principles are at the heart of the international order that we have built since World War II, together with the United States of America, national sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders,” he concluded.

In addition, Von der Leyen announced on Monday to community leaders that she will study the possibility of relaxing the rules of the European Union (EU) on the control of public deficit and debt to allow an increase in defense spending.

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“If you look at national budgets, they are constrained, until now through the new rules of the stability and growth pact. For extraordinary times, it is possible to have extraordinary measures also in the stability and growth pact, and I think we live in extraordinary times,” Von der Leyen said at the end of an informal summit of EU leaders.