Von der Leyen hits back at ‘unjustified trade restrictions’ after US metals levies come into force

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The European Union has announced it is launching €26bn (nearly £22bn) of trade “countermeasures” in retaliation to Donald Trump’s tariffs on steel and aluminium imports, escalating a global trade war.

The European Commission chief, Ursula von der Leyen, called the 25% levies on the metals coming into the US, which came into force at 4am GMT on Wednesday, “unjustified trade restrictions”.