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Odaily Planet Daily – According to the Financial Times, ahead of the looming negotiation deadline, a senior official has warned that if the European Union wants to secure a favorable deal, it must issue a “credible threat” of retaliation in the trade war initiated by Trump. Two EU officials stated that Seibert, chief of staff to the President of the European Commission, told EU ambassadors after last week’s G7 summit that the prospect of a strong response would help persuade the US President to lower the high tariffs imposed on the EU. German Chancellor Merz also hinted that his government would support tougher measures. On Tuesday, he said, “If no agreement is reached, we are prepared to use all available options. We can and will defend our interests.” Seibert told the ambassadors that European Commission President von der Leyen is ready to escalate negotiations to secure a better deal. He asked them to support a package of tariffs on US goods worth €95 billion and said the Commission is also preparing measures targeting the services sector—including taxing US tech companies and restricting US firms’ access to public procurement contracts. One of the officials said the message being conveyed is, “We need to leverage a credible rebalancing plan.” (Jin10)