BRUSSELS — An eye for an eye.
That, in essence, is the strategy that the European Union should adopt in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff war, according to Belgium’s new Foreign and European Affairs Minister Maxime Prévot.
Prévot stated that the American leader’s derogatory remarks about the EU, along with subsequent U.S. measures, “must lead us to react with similar vigor.” He emphasized that the bloc, which comprises a market of 450 million people, “deserves to be treated differently” than what Trump has done so far.
As a Walloon centrist who recently led his party, The Committed Ones, to significant gains in Belgium’s elections last June, Prévot is now a key figure in the country’s seven-week-old center-right government under Prime Minister Bart De Wever.
In responding to Trump, the European Union should consider all options, including targeting Washington where it hurts, Prévot asserted. “We know that among the sectors likely to elicit the greatest sensitivity and responsiveness [from the U.S.], there’s the entire digital component. Personally, I’m more in favor of utilizing this lever as part of our countermeasures,” he stated.
The bloc’s tech regulation has been entangled in the transatlantic tariff war, with Trump threatening retaliation against the European Commission’s enforcement of EU tech rules, which include content moderation and digital competition.
Social media platform X, owned by Trump’s adviser Elon Musk, is facing its first-ever penalty after a preliminary finding last summer deemed it in breach of EU social media regulations.
Prévot also suggested that triggering the EU’s rarely used anti-coercion instrument should be on the table. This tool, designed after Trump’s first term, allows for broad retaliation against trade discrimination, including quotas, tariffs, or restrictions on foreign investment.
“This war, particularly regarding tariffs, is like a boomerang being thrown,” he commented. “Those who use tariffs are forgetting that [the boomerang] is coming back.”
His remarks arrive as cracks have begun to show in the bloc’s unity regarding responses to Trump’s unpredictable tariff threats. Facing early criticism from France, Germany, Ireland, and Italy, the European Commission was compelled to expand its consultations with EU capitals ahead of imposing tariffs on €18 billion of U.S. exports, escalating trade tensions with Washington.
Buy European
This situation fuels Trump’s narrative. The U.S. president has had private discussions with leaders like French President Emmanuel Macron, Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin, and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas was snubbed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has yet to meet Trump.
Prévot noted that this approach was expected. “The vision Donald Trump is pursuing is fundamentally bilateral,” he remarked. Trump prefers one-on-one meetings, while von der Leyen and Kallas represent the “embodiment of multilateral diplomacy,” according to the Belgian minister.
The implications of Trump’s isolationist policies are also being felt in Belgium. The new Belgian government has set a goal of achieving NATO’s benchmark for national military spending of 2 percent of gross domestic product by 2029. However, this target now appears outdated, prompting the government to consider accelerating spending.
The Belgian government’s commitment to increasing defense spending will soon be put to the test as it evaluates potential procurement of new fighter jets. The coalition agreement promises increased investment in military aircraft, but specifics on models remain unspecified.
Previously, Belgium signed a contract for over 30 U.S.-made F-35s, yet such deals are under scrutiny amid concerns about potential U.S. limitations on their performance and broader issues regarding overreliance on American weapons.
Prévot mentioned that Belgium might be too small to operate a mixed fleet of fighter jets but did not dismiss the possibility of considering a European alternative.
“I believe that there should now be a consensus in favor [of buying European],” he stated. “However, we must be honest and recognize that while this principle should guide all our investments, we must also remain pragmatic.”
It will take time and resources for Europeans to enhance their defense industries and establish new production lines, he concluded. “That’s where the practical dimension intersects with the ‘Buy European’ principle.”
