The Polish prime minister has called for “truly reciprocal tariffs” between Europe and the U.S. after the Donald Trump administration slapped a 20% levy on EU imports.
On what he called the United States’ “Liberation Day,” President Trump introduced a sweeping array of tariffs on a large number of economic partners—from big trading blocs to tiny islands.
Several non-EU countries in Central and Eastern Europe, especially in the Balkan region, will be targeted with tariffs of over 30%, with others, such as Ukraine, set for the base tariff of 10%, which will be imposed on practically every import.
However, Russia and Belarus are not included in Trump’s measures, with the White House telling the Axios news website that this was because American sanctions on Moscow already “preclude any meaningful trade” between the countries.
With the EU urging negotiations and promising to prepare countermeasures, Donald Tusk, Poland’s prime minister, said it was time to take “adequate decisions.”
“Friendship means partnership. Partnership means really and truly reciprocal tariffs,” he wrote on X.
He later added that initial assessments indicated the tariffs could lead to a 0.4% reduction in Poland’s GDP – estimating a loss of over 10 billion złoty (€2.4 billion).
The Polish finance minister, Andrzej Domański, said that “it was not an optimistic morning for consumers and companies, but Poland and Europe will come out of this stronger.”
Meanwhile, Radosław Sikorski, the Polish foreign minister, pointed to the lack of tariffs on Russia, saying he was “interested” in how pro-Trump right-wing politicians in Poland will explain that levies on the EU were “two times higher than on Russia.”
Reuters reported that European shares slumped to a two-month low, with the bloc’s economic giant, Germany, hit the hardest. The country’s finance minister said that the EU needs to react, but the 27-member group remains open to an agreement.
“It would be naive to think that if we just sit there and let this happen, things will get better, so I'm expecting a strong response by the European Union,” Jörg Kukies told the BBC World Service.
However, the Hungarian foreign minister blasted the EU’s executive branch, the European Commission, for “failing to engage with the U.S. on tariffs.”
“Yesterday’s tariff move by the U.S. made one thing clear: [the EU commission] should have negotiated. They had two and a half months. They did nothing,” Péter Szijjártó wrote on X.
“Europe’s economy and its people are once again paying the price for Brussels’ incompetence.”
Economy Minister Lukas Savickas said he had been “preparing for such a scenario” and unveiled an initial support package worth €20 million to help businesses most affected.
He added that possible exemptions to high-value goods such as semiconductors and pharmaceuticals would be beneficial to Lithuania, which make up around half of the country’s exports to the U.S.
Some of the toughest tariffs in Europe have been targeted at countries in the Western Balkans, with a rate of 37% on Serbia, 35% on Bosnia and Herzegovina, and 33% on North Macedonia. Another non-EU country, Moldova, will be hit with 31%.
Analysis by the Forbes Serbia financial news website suggested that the measures could negatively affect certain industries in the country, especially car tire manufacturers and ammunition producers.
It also noted that exports to the U.S. had grown in recent years—even though the percentage of national exports going to the Western superpower was small.
The same is true for most countries in the Balkans; however, the region’s economy is likely to be impacted by the wider trade war due to strong economic ties with EU members such as Germany.
While economists have warned that the tariffs could slow the global economy and raise the risk of recession, Trump is a big supporter of such measures, saying that the U.S. will eventually benefit from economic protectionism.
“For decades, our country has been looted, pillaged, raped and plundered by nations near and far,” Trump said.
Several non-EU countries in Central and Eastern Europe, especially in the Balkan region, will be targeted with tariffs of over 30%, with others, such as Ukraine, set for the base tariff of 10%, which will be imposed on practically every import.
However, Russia and Belarus are not included in Trump’s measures, with the White House telling the Axios news website that this was because American sanctions on Moscow already “preclude any meaningful trade” between the countries.
‘Adequate decisions’
With the EU urging negotiations and promising to prepare countermeasures, Donald Tusk, Poland’s prime minister, said it was time to take “adequate decisions.”
“Friendship means partnership. Partnership means really and truly reciprocal tariffs,” he wrote on X.
He later added that initial assessments indicated the tariffs could lead to a 0.4% reduction in Poland’s GDP – estimating a loss of over 10 billion złoty (€2.4 billion).
Tusk said the U.S. decision was “a severe and unpleasant blow, because it comes from our closest ally, but we will survive it.”Według wstępnej oceny nowe amerykańskie cła mogą zmniejszyć polski PKB o 0,4 proc., czyli w ostrożnym uproszczeniu straty przekroczą 10 miliardów złotych. Cios dotkliwy i przykry, bo od najbliższego sojusznika, ale go przetrzymamy. Nasza przyjaźń🇵🇱🇺🇸też musi przetrwać tę próbę.
— Donald Tusk (@donaldtusk) April 3, 2025
The Polish finance minister, Andrzej Domański, said that “it was not an optimistic morning for consumers and companies, but Poland and Europe will come out of this stronger.”
Meanwhile, Radosław Sikorski, the Polish foreign minister, pointed to the lack of tariffs on Russia, saying he was “interested” in how pro-Trump right-wing politicians in Poland will explain that levies on the EU were “two times higher than on Russia.”
Reuters reported that European shares slumped to a two-month low, with the bloc’s economic giant, Germany, hit the hardest. The country’s finance minister said that the EU needs to react, but the 27-member group remains open to an agreement.
“It would be naive to think that if we just sit there and let this happen, things will get better, so I'm expecting a strong response by the European Union,” Jörg Kukies told the BBC World Service.
However, the Hungarian foreign minister blasted the EU’s executive branch, the European Commission, for “failing to engage with the U.S. on tariffs.”
“Yesterday’s tariff move by the U.S. made one thing clear: [the EU commission] should have negotiated. They had two and a half months. They did nothing,” Péter Szijjártó wrote on X.
“Europe’s economy and its people are once again paying the price for Brussels’ incompetence.”
Up in the Baltics, Lithuania said the tariffs would have an impact on the country’s GDP, with a projected decline of up to 0.65, a senior politician told public broadcaster LRT.Europe’s economy and its people are once again paying the price for Brussels’ incompetence.
— Péter Szijjártó (@FM_Szijjarto) April 3, 2025
Yesterday’s tariff move by the US made one thing clear: @EU_Commission should have negotiated. They had two and a half months. They did nothing.
Instead of working with Washington to cut…
Economy Minister Lukas Savickas said he had been “preparing for such a scenario” and unveiled an initial support package worth €20 million to help businesses most affected.
He added that possible exemptions to high-value goods such as semiconductors and pharmaceuticals would be beneficial to Lithuania, which make up around half of the country’s exports to the U.S.
High tariffs on the Western Balkans
Some of the toughest tariffs in Europe have been targeted at countries in the Western Balkans, with a rate of 37% on Serbia, 35% on Bosnia and Herzegovina, and 33% on North Macedonia. Another non-EU country, Moldova, will be hit with 31%.
Analysis by the Forbes Serbia financial news website suggested that the measures could negatively affect certain industries in the country, especially car tire manufacturers and ammunition producers.
It also noted that exports to the U.S. had grown in recent years—even though the percentage of national exports going to the Western superpower was small.
The same is true for most countries in the Balkans; however, the region’s economy is likely to be impacted by the wider trade war due to strong economic ties with EU members such as Germany.
While economists have warned that the tariffs could slow the global economy and raise the risk of recession, Trump is a big supporter of such measures, saying that the U.S. will eventually benefit from economic protectionism.
“For decades, our country has been looted, pillaged, raped and plundered by nations near and far,” Trump said.
More In Politics MORE...
