President of European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said the European Union (EU) will respond firmly to the United States if it imposes additional tariffs on European goods.’When targeted unfairly or arbitrarily, the European Union will respond firmly,’ von der Leyen said following an informal gathering of EU leaders in Brussels.’The threats we face today are real. They are growing. And they come in many forms,’ she said, adding ‘We must prepare and respond together, as Europeans. We must be stronger in defense. Europe needs basically a surge in defense. And for that our defense industrial base must be strengthened. This means: First, our defense spending must increase up.”For so for many years, we have under-invested in defense. There is thus a great urgency to increase the defense spending with a big magnitude,’ the European Commission President said.US President Donald Trump had announced that he would soon impose additional tariffs on European goods.
