EU "stands ready to hit back" if Trump imposes unfair trade measures

The European Union has said that if US president Donald Trump initiates unfair trade measures against the 28-nation bloc, it would react "swiftly and appropriately".

In a weekend interview, Mr Trump said he was annoyed with EU trade policy since he claims the US cannot sufficiently export to the EU.

The European Union stands ready to react swiftly and appropriately in case our exports are affected by any restrictive trade measures from the United States. pic.twitter.com/sdYBSWlexb

— European Commission (@EU_Commission) January 29, 2018

He said his problems with the EU "may morph into something very big" from a trade standpoint.

EU spokesman Margaritis Schinas retorted that "while trade has to be open and fair, it also has to be rules-based".

Mr Schinas added: "The EU stands ready to react swiftly and appropriately in case our exports are affected by any restrictive trade measure from the United States."

PA and Digital desk