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EU-US Trade relations: Europeans should prepare for the Worst

Relations between Europe and the United States have considerably deteriorated since the Pt Trump took office in 2017. And far from receding, the fever which has for a couple of years driven the EU-US relations recently experienced a new shoot upwards. The US administration introduced a range of new punitives tariffs on various European goods. The plan will impose 10% tariffs on Airbus planes and 25% tariffs on agricultural products like French wine and cheese, Italian dairy and meat products, Spanish wine and olive oil, Greek fruits and milk etc…The tariffs concern imports on EU products worth a total of US$ 7.5 billion (Re.WTO). These new measures came into effect after the World Trade Organization had ruled in favor of the US and against the EU over subsidies for Airbus. And the WTO should by early 2020 consider a parallel case that the EU brought against the US for subsidizing Boeing. Mrs C.Malmström -European Commissioner for Trade- said that European authorities are prepared to respond with levies on US goods. And in fact, the EU has already drawn up its own list of US$ 20 billion in American products which could be subject to increase in tariffs. These are clearly early signs of an escalating trade war. The EU’s 27 Member States should adopt a united front in their relations with the US. That is not the case at this time. The German government, for example, is deeply concerned by the threats of the US authorities which target European cars. German carmakers Volkswagen, Daimler and BMW could be among the hardest hit. As a result,Germany, unlike other European countries is prepared to make many concessions. This atmosphere of distrust and confrontation between two historical allies can only be regretted. But we must face facts: the EU is no longer a priority partner for the US and America is no longer a reliable partner for Europe.

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