<h1>Trade tariffs prompt EU warning of higher consumer costs and possible countermeasures, stressing effects on vulnerable populations.</h1> A unilateral imposition of increased import tariffs on the European Union is characterised as a significant disruption to international trade that will raise prices for groceries, transport and medicines and disproportionately affect vulnerable populations. The European Commission highlights deficiencies in the world trading system, expresses readiness to negotiate, and reserves the right to adopt countermeasures, combining negotiation with potential reciprocal trade remedies.