The issue of tariffs between the US and Europe has taken a dangerous turn. The European Commission had made concessions and was ready to sign an imbalanced agreement similar to the one concluded between the United Kingdom and the US. Europeans had demonstrated a spirit of conciliation, telling themselves that a "bad peace" is always preferable to war. Undeterred, Donald Trump decided to press his advantage and test how far Europe would be willing to yield. He then brandished the threat of 30% tariffs as of August 1 − tariffs 10% higher than those announced on the now-famous blackboard displayed like a trophy at the beginning of April. What a strange way to reward the European Commission for having so far postponed any retaliatory measures.

This strategy has proven to be a complete failure. Pretending nothing is happening will only lead to disaster. Would it be acceptable to the businesses and citizens of the European Union (EU) for the Commission to obtain a less favorable deal, despite Europe weighing nearly six times as much as the United Kingdom? Has the Commission failed to see that Trump only respects the strong – Vladimir Putin, Benjamin Netanyahu and Xi Jinping – and holds the weak in contempt?

As long as Trump does not sense real resistance, he will not sign any agreement; in his world, each party must wield threats. The current response is laughably weak, impacting only $23 billion – just 3% of US exports of goods and services to Europe. That strategy must urgently change; it is not simply a matter of flexing muscles or turning into a hawk after playing the dove. Rather, a bold, new strategic move must be made. To do so, Europeans should not proceed alone, but must coordinate with others in the name of multilateralism.

By imposing higher tariffs on all countries in February, Trump made a gamble. He succeeded because the other countries, caught off guard by the force of the attack, failed to coordinate their response.

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