U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to confront the European Union over what he calls "very unfair" trade policy toward the United States.

Trump has demanded tougher enforcement of trade rules and last week signed into law 30 percent tariffs on imported solar panels, among the first unilateral trade restrictions made by the administration as part of a broader protectionist agenda.

"I've had a lot of problems with European Union, and it may morph into something very big from that standpoint, from a trade standpoint," Trump said in an interview with the British broadcaster ITV to be broadcast later on Sunday.

"We cannot get our product in. It's very, very tough. And yet they send their product to us - no taxes, very little taxes. It's very unfair.

"They're not the only one, by the way. I could name many countries and places that do. But the European Union has been very, very unfair to the United States. And I think it will turn out to be very much to their detriment."

(Reporting By Andrew MacAskill; Editing by Jon Boyle)

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