(12 Mar 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Berlin – 12 March 2025
1. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and European Council President Antonio Costa arriving for briefing
2. Photographer
3. SOUNDBITE (German) Olaf Scholz, German Chancellor:
"We need fewer obstacles to trade and not more, so I believe the tariff decisions by the U.S. are wrong, and we will react appropriately and quickly. We will now examine the commission’s proposals. We are in close contact with the Commission for this purpose. I welcomed the European Commission’s readiness to negotiate with Washington."
4. Scholz and Costa at briefing
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Antonio Costa, European Council President:
"The world is looking at Europe as a reliable and predictable partner. We must seize this opportunity. We need more trade agreements, not more tariffs. Tariffs in fact are taxes for companies and citizens. Tariffs only increase inflation.”
6. Scholz and Costa at briefing
7. SOUNDBITE (German) Olaf Scholz, German Chancellor:
"The U.S. restarting its support for Ukraine, which was interrupted, is a very important step because it makes clear that the Russian president can’t hope that he will simply win on the battlefield because Ukraine has its support withdrawn. I’m very happy about this development."
8. Close of Scholz
9. Scholz and Costa at briefing
10. SOUNDBITE (German) Olaf Scholz, German Chancellor:
"Secondly, we have to discuss the framework for peace and the perspective must always be that Ukraine can defend its sovereignty and independence, and that it will have a strong army of its own in the future as well."
11. Scholz and Costa leaving
STORYLINE:
Germany’s chancellor and the head of the European Council on Wednesday said the European Union would take retaliatory trade actions on US-imposed tariffs.
US President Donald Trump officially increased tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports to 25% on Wednesday, promising that the taxes would help create U.S. factory jobs at a time when his seesawing tariff threats are jolting the stock market and raising fears of an economic slowdown.
European Council President Antonio Costa and outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in Berlin that the world needs "fewer obstacles" to trade, not more.
"I believe the tariff decisions by the U.S. are wrong, and we will react appropriately and quickly," Scholz said.
Costa likened tariffs to "taxes for companies and citizens. Tariffs only increase inflation.”
Costa noted that, while the EU does have a trade surplus with the U.S. in goods, it has a deficit when it comes to services, adding that the EU would like to de-escalate the situation through talks with the US.
Trump removed all exemptions from his 2018 tariffs on the metals, in addition to increasing the tariffs on aluminum from 10%.
The European Union announced a decisive response, with new duties on U.S. industrial and farm products, responding within hours to the Trump administration’s increase.
AP video shot by Pietro De Cristofaro
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