European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker | Stephanie Lecocq/EPA Juncker: EU in ‘elevated battle mood’ to retaliate against US over steel Brussels could react with counter-measures within ‘a few days,’ Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said.

HAMBURG — The European Union is prepared to impose counter-measures within days if U.S. President Donald Trump takes action to protect the American steel industry, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said today.

Negotiations are still under way, Juncker said at a news conference at the G20 summit in Hamburg. According to his aides, Juncker's message is that any action against China should be coordinated and multilateral rather than taken unilaterally by the U.S.

“When it comes to protective measures against steel imports, I don’t want to tell you in detail what we’re doing,” Juncker said at a news conference.

“But what I would like to tell you is that within a few days — we won’t need two months for that — we could react with counter-measures. I am telling you this in the hope that all of this won’t be necessary. But we are in an elevated battle mood.”