Europe reacts to Trump tariffs on Mexico, Canada, China

There are fears steep US tariffs on goods from Mexico, Canada and China might kick off a trade war that could dent global growth and stoke inflation.

Here are some responses to the tariffs:

* BRITAIN

- Britain had a "fair and balanced" trading relationship with the US that benefited both sides, a government spokesperson said on Monday, after President Donald Trump hinted tariffs could be "worked out" between the two countries

- "The US is an indispensable ally and one of our closest trading partners," the spokesperson said

- Prime Minister Keir Starmer told reporters at the weekend that his early talks with Trump had focused on building on strong trade relations

* GERMANY

- "Trump will now also realise that the tariffs he is imposing will not have to be paid by those who import into America," Conservative Opposition Leader and chancellor hopeful Friedrich Merz said

- "Instead, they will have to be paid for by consumers in America"

- He said the tariffs could also fuel inflation in the US

* FINLAND

- Finland's Prime Minister Petteri Orpo says Europe should negotiate with Trump on trade

- "The most important issue that we all need to understand is that Russia is a threat, a real threat, this is not an opinion this is a fact," he said

* POLAND

- Any attempt at waging trade wars is a complete mistake, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said

- "It is worth doing everything possible to ensure that in the face of a Russian threat or Chinese expansion, we do not fight between allies," Tusk said

* EUROPEAN UNION

- EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said if the US and Europe started a trade war "then the one laughing on the side is China"

- "We are very interlinked. We need America, and America needs us as well," she said

* SPAIN

- The European Union must remain united to respond to Trump's threats to levy tariffs on its products, Spanish Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo said

- The bloc should protect its companies and make sure they were in a position to compete on equal terms with rivals from other countries, Cuerpo told Spanish radio station RNE

* EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK POLICYMAKER

- ECB policymaker Gediminas Simkus, the Lithuanian central bank governor, warned tariffs were not good news for the economy or inflation but declined to speculate on the impact

* FRANCE

- If Europe is attacked on commercial interests, it will have to make itself respected, French President Emmanuel Macron said ahead of an informal EU defence meeting in Brussels

- Recent declarations from the US were pushing Europe to be stronger and more united, he said

* FRENCH CENTRAL BANK GOVERNOR

- Trade tariffs imposed by Trump "will increase economic uncertainty", French central bank governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau told France Info, adding this was a worrying development

- Villeroy, who is also a European Central Bank policymaker, said Trump's tariffs were "very brutal" and would hit the autos sector especially

- On possible retaliatory measures, Villeroy said such a response should not be excluded but he urged caution

- "The key is to make our economy stronger," he said

* BELGIUM

- The answer to trade tariffs is to respond with the same measures, Luxembourg Prime Minister Luc Frieden said at an informal EU defence retreat in Brussels

- "I think tariffs are always bad. Tariffs are bad for trade. Tariffs are bad for the United States", he said