The Minister of Finance calls for caution in reactions to Trump's return to Washington.
We should remain calm – because we have bigger problems to handle than tariffs. The EU has problems with growth and productivity. We can take our fate into our own hands, she says on site at the EU finance ministers' meeting in Brussels on Tuesday.
Trump's speech and actions since taking office have not surprised her so far.
But it's a bit worrying that he didn't mention support for Ukraine, because that will continue to be needed, Svantesson believes.
The EU's Economic Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis says he wants to build a "strong and balanced" relationship with the new US administration.
Svantesson, for her part, is not sure that Trump will actually implement the tough tariffs against Europe that he threatened during the election campaign last year.
We don't know yet what will happen. When I met many economists and politicians in the US in December, they all believed that this is part of a negotiating game, says Svantesson in Brussels.
