EU says US trade ‘almost impossible’ if 30% tariffs are implemented

(Above from Pixabay)

The head of trade for the European Union expressed a major concern after the latest tariff threats from the Trump Administration:

US trade ‘almost impossible’ in case of Trump tariffs — EU

14 July 2025

EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic said on Monday that he believed the US was ready to continue ongoing trade negotiations despite an announcement by President Donald Trump that he would impose 30% trade tariffs on imports from the EU and Mexico from August 1 if no deal was reached.

His remarks come amid divisions within the bloc on how to confront the threat, with notably France calling for a hardball approach, while others call for caution with a mind to Europe’s continued reliance on the US for defense. …

In remarks made on arrival for talks in Brussels with bloc ministers, he said the 30% tariff threatened by Trump would make it “almost impossible to continue” trade with the US, which is currently worth €4.4 billion ($5.15 billion) a day.

How might the EU react to Trump’s tariffs?

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday delayed — as a sign of good will — a package of retaliatory measures over previous US tariffs on steel and aluminium that was due to kick in on Monday.

But diplomats said another set of reprisal measures that could be launched if the 30% tariffs go ahead will be presented to trade ministers on Monday.

France’s trade minister. Laurent Saint-Martin, said there should be “no taboos” in any retaliatory plans, adding that Trump’s announcement meant that the bloc had to reconsider its tactis.

“If you hold anything back, you are not strengthening your hand in negotiations,” he said at the Brussels talks. “Obviously, the situation since Saturday requires us to change our strategy.”

Denmark’s foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, whose country currently holds the EU presidency, also called for a firmer approach.

“We want a deal but there’s an old saying: ‘if you want peace, you have to prepare for war’,” he said ahead of the talks. …

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz …

gave an urgent warning about the consequences for the German economy if no deal was reached.

“If that happened, then we could forget about much of our effort with regard to economic policy, because it would overshadow everything and hit Germany’s export economy in its core.” https://www.dw.com/en/us-trade-almost-impossible-in-case-of-trump-tariffs-eu/a-73269677

The European Union has warned that its trade with the United States could be effectively wiped out if Washington makes good on its threat to slap a 30% tariff on goods imported from the bloc.

A tariff of “30%, or anything above 30%… has more or less the same effect. So, practically it prohibits the trade,” Maroš Šefčovič, the EU’s trade commissioner, said as he arrived ahead of an EU ministerial meeting in Brussels on Monday.

Šefčovič said it will “be almost impossible” for the bloc to continue its current level of trade with America if that new tariff rate is implemented on August 1 – the date stipulated by US President Donald Trump in his letter to the EU on Saturday. https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/14/business/europe-us-trade-tariff-wipe-out-intl

Tariffs, sanctions, economic threats, and policies from the Trump Administration are pushing nations away from trading with the USA.

And some in Europe want to hit back, despite European dependence on the military of the USA. Notice the following:

Italy Foreign Minister: EU Ready to Hit US With 21B Euro Tariff List

July 14, 2025

The European Union has already prepared a list of tariffs worth 21 billion euros ($24.52 billion) on U.S. goods if the two countries fail to reach a trade deal, Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said in a newspaper interview on Monday.

President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened to impose a 30% tariff on imports from Mexico and the EU starting on Aug. 1, after weeks of negotiations with major U.S. trading partners failed to reach a comprehensive deal.

Tajani also told daily Il Messaggero that to help the euro zone economy the European Central Bank should consider a new “quantitative easing” bond-buying-program, and more interest rate cuts. …

Tajani said the 21-billion-euro package of tariffs the EU has already prepared could be followed by a second set if a deal with the U.S proves impossible. He added, however, that he was confident that progress could be made in negotiations.

“Tariffs hurt every one, starting with the United States,” he said. “If stock markets fall that puts at risk the pensions and the savings of the Americans.” https://www.newsmax.com/finance/streettalk/italy-eu-trump/2025/07/14/id/1218641/

Now, in general, many of the the tariffs proposed by Donald Trump will, at least for a time, be more harmful to nations other than the United States.

Notice that Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani mentioned things like “quantitative easing.” That and other financial moves may end up triggering a banking crisis in Europe.

The Europeans blame the USA for putting them in a position to have to change interest rates and take other actions.

As far as Europe facing a banking crisis, notice something the late Pastor General of the old Worldwide Church of God, Herbert W. Armstrong, said in a sermon on July 7, 1984:

And I can see now, the event that is going to trigger the formation of the reunification in Europe; the resurrection of the medieval Holy Roman Empire that we’ve been looking forward to that is prophesied to come…

But I believe that some event is going to happen suddenly just like out a blue sky that is going to shock the whole world and is going to cause the nations in Europe to realize they must unite! … Well now I think I can see what may be the very event that is going to trigger…that is the economic situation in the world…

The whole banking structure in the United States is a network all jointed together. But not only that, one nation has to deal with other nations and imports and exports. And so they have to have a means of transforming money from one nation to another. And so the banking structure is international and interwoven…

Now when the financial structure breaks down, all civilization is going to break down…

So, an economic or banking crisis is what Herbert W. Armstrong concluded would drive Europe to unite.

And, I agree that it will take some type of crisis for Europe to reorganize.

The Bible shows that a major reorganization is prophesied to happen and push Europe under totalitarian control:

12 “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. 13 These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. (Revelation 17:12-13)

Economic issues will be one of the factors that will get Europe to decide to reorganize and support a dictator that the Bible calls the Beast.

There is an expression that “the enemy of your enemy is your friend.” The USA is turning friends into enemies, and that is consistent with biblical prophecies (e.g. Lamentations 1:1-2). Expect the European Union to trade more with other nations.

Notice some items in my book available at Amazon Kindle: Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies? as well as Amazon print Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies?:

Unintended Consequences

While Donald Trump seems to believe that his policies are best for the United States, notice some unintended consequences of them: …

Pushing tariffs and sanctions on other countries is contributing to the rise of the final time of the Gentiles (Luke 21:24; Ezekiel 7:24).

Pushing tariffs and other policies that foreign nations do not like is contributing to other nations looking to bypass the USA dollar, as well as trade more with each other and less with the USA. This will further push various globalist’s moves forward without the USA. This is also helping set the stage for the coming European Babylonian Beast to dominate international trade.

Since the above was published, more countries are looking seriously about bypassing the US dollar because of tariffs, sanctions, and other economic issues.

Statements and policies by the Trump Administration have strained relations between the USA and Europe.

Yet, the Bible shows that Europe will emerge from its crises to become the dominant end time trading power, the end time Babylon, but that it will not last.

Here are some scriptures that prophecy this:

5 And on her forehead a name was written:

MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. (Revelation 17:5)

9 “Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. … 18 And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth. (Revelation 17:9, 18)
NKJV

2 And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! 3 For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.” (Revelation 18:2-3)

11 “And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore: 12 merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; 13 and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of men. 14 The fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid have gone from you, and you shall find them no more at all. 15 The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, 16 and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls! 17 For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.’ Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance 18 and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What is like this great city?’ (Revelation 18:11-18)

The above is referring to a European power–one that, even according to Roman Catholic scholars, has a religious tie to Rome.

Regarding how the international trade situation will end up, earlier this year the The Continuing Church of God put together the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel discussing various views and scriptures about that:

14:49

Trade Wars – and the Winner will be …

US President Trump imposed tariffs on a global scale. Those tariffs were imposed on friend and foe alike. It seems as if President Trump is no respecter of nations. But how will this work out for the United States? Will these tariffs result in other nations drawing closer together that have had rather cold, and even not so cold, relations in the past? Will global tariffs result in trade wars? Were the events which are happening predicted by any in the Continuing Church of God? Is Europe drawing closer to China? Is Europe drawing closer to Latin and South America? With the exception of a few of America’s allies, is the net result of these tariffs a worldwide scramble to create new alliances and new trading partners to the exclusion of the United States? What will be the future result of these new alliances? Many of the nations that are now seeking new alliances were just recently America’s allies. They were her friends. Dr. Thiel brings to light the fate of America and her allies at the hands of her former friends, as revealed in the book of Lamentations. As we rapidly approach the end times listen in as Dr. Thiel brings to light world events. Then listen as he shines the light of Bible prophecy directly on the questions raised from these world events.