BERLIN - German officials said on Monday they are expecting a rapid policy response from the United States after the U.S. Supreme Court determined that tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump exceeded his constitutional powers.
A government spokesperson emphasized that Germany needs time to examine the court's reasoning, in particular to determine whether the judgment has retroactive effect for customs duties that have already been imposed. That question - whether liabilities, refunds or other adjustments could follow for duties collected to date - is central to Berlin's assessment, the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added that Germany is watching the situation closely and that a prompt, clear policy direction from the American government would be necessary to allow Germany to craft an appropriate response. Until Washington lays out its approach, German authorities said they would withhold firm decisions on next steps.
The Supreme Court's finding that the tariffs exceeded presidential authority has introduced uncertainty about the status of existing trade measures between the two countries. German officials framed their position as contingent on further U.S. guidance and on the legal interpretation of the ruling's temporal scope.
What German officials said
- Germany must analyse the Supreme Court decision, with special attention to retroactivity concerning customs duties already imposed.
- Berlin is monitoring developments and expects an expeditious policy response from the United States.
- A clear statement from the U.S. government would enable Germany to determine its own response.
Context and implications
Officials described the situation as one requiring careful legal and policy analysis rather than immediate unilateral action. They noted that the Supreme Court ruling has created uncertainty around existing bilateral trade measures, and that this uncertainty limits Germany's ability to make definitive public statements about future measures pending further clarification from the United States.
Next steps
German authorities said their next moves will depend on the follow-up from the U.S. administration and on the outcome of their internal review of the ruling's reach. Until those elements are resolved, Germany indicated it would refrain from announcing concrete countermeasures or policy shifts.
This article provides a factual account of official statements and court findings; it does not speculate about potential outcomes beyond the information presented by German spokespeople and the Supreme Court ruling.