Liberals and Democrats in the European Parliament highly regret President Donald Trump’s decision not to grant the EU a permanent and unconditional exemption from steel and aluminium tariffs.

“Nobody will benefit from this decision. The Transatlantic relationship is going downhill while businesses and consumers are being thrown into great uncertainty," commented Marietje Schaake MEP, ALDE Group’s Trade spokesperson.

She added: “Nobody will benefit from this decision. The Transatlantic relationship is going downhill while businesses and consumers are being thrown into great uncertainty."

"Trump leaves us no choice. Europe must immediately adopt rebalancing countermeasures. While Trump opts for 'America-first' protectionism, Europe must stick together and continue to invest in strengthening the global trading system based on rules."

Guy Verhofstadt, leader of the ALDE Group in the European Parliament, commented: "Unfortunately, these steps weaken the transatlantic alliance. Instead of imposing punitive tariffs on their closest allies, the US and EU should work together to tackle China's unfair trading practices."

“As with Brexit, what is most important now is unity within the EU. If we are united, we will have a strong position to face this wave of protectionism, which will benefit no one. The EU has proven to be a strong and reliable global trading partner. In recent months, the EU secured major free trade deals with partners like Canada, Japan and Mexico. This shows what we can achieve when Europe speaks with one voice. We need to continue in this spirit and work with partners around the globe to preserve the rules-based multilateral trading system.”