Trump, who will be inaugurated next week, has threatened the EU with tariffs and his team has criticized the bloc for being weak on China. The manner in which the EU handles the dispute will present an early test of how the world approaches trade under the new administration in Washington and the resilience of the transatlantic relationship.

Selected EU countries could benefit from Donald Trump's policies and the trade war, in which the main parties to the conflict will be the US and China, assessed the consulting firm Crido. They also added that investments in European energy should focus on reducing energy prices.

Donald Trump's Treasury secretary pick, Scott Bessent, told lawmakers at his Senate hearing he backs using tariffs against what he called 'unfair trade practices.' During Trump's first term, the EU and China ducked some duties by buying U.