[ad_1]
BRUSSELS – European officials are struggling to make sense of what appears to be truce of temporary trade war between President Trump and the European Union, following the visit of Washington and Trump and Jean-Claude Juncker, the President of the European Commission, have announced Wednesday that they had agreed to work on the resolution of disputes over steel and aluminum tariffs, to defer the proposed tariffs
"Objectively it is a good new, that we have avoided here tariffs on cars, "said a senior EU official. diplomat, under the guise of anonymity.
But in capitals all over Europe, a number of national officials echoed this sentiment, announcing that the meeting had prevented a trade war. German Finance Minister Peter Altmaier, for example, called this a "breakthrough". But others were wary, wondering if it was realistic to expect Europe to buy more soy in the United States, as reported by Juncker. As Trump said, liquefied natural gas from the United States, as Trump stated
. The most achievable aspects of what Trump and Juncker were talking about are very similar to the objectives of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, an initiative The Joint Statement of Mr. Juncker and Mr. Trump, released on Wednesday, included calls for Lowering of trade barriers in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, medical and services – sectors also discussed within the TTIP. These negotiations have been mostly dormant since 2016, when they were baffled by Britain voting to let the European Union and the United States elect Trump.
With a White House changing frequently, and on a whim, hesitating to make a final judgment on Trump-Juncker's relaxation.
"Is it real or is it superficial?" Said Maria Demertzis, deputy director of Breugel, a Brussels think-tank focused on economic issues. 19659013] And then there are questions about the details
Regarding soybean imports, the prices of Argentina and Brazil tend to be much lower than those of the United States, according to a EU official. prices have fallen somewhat in recent weeks, since China adopted its own set of tariffs on soybeans. But soybeans destined for Chinese markets can not necessarily be redirected to the US, which has strict regulations on genetically modified foods.
According to a senior US. official, there was no discussion about lifting these standards for buying soy in the United States. The same official said the agricultural products were outside discussions between Juncker and Trump, directly contradicting comments from Treasury Secretary Wilbur Ross, who said Tuesday that "all agricultural products are something that will be discussed."
but it does not correspond to the joint statement, "said the diplomat.
A similar situation exists with respect to liquefied natural gas, said a European diplomat working on trade issues. was considered a German concession to the White House, said the diplomat, given Trump's recent anger regarding the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline agreement, which will route gas to Germany from Russia. [19659015] Nord Stream 2 has not been abandoned, though, and US gas remains much more expensive, due to shipping costs.
"The idea of much more than 39 LNG shipments to the absurd EU, tweeted Anthony Gardner a former US ambbadador to the EU "For some business badysts, the concern was less about the details of Trump's relaxation -Juncker only on the way don Europe is planning to deal with Trump, who recently called the US a "commercial enemy."
"Let's go back one step," said Demertzis, the economic badyst. "What is the strategy here, to the extent that the US has a strategy?"
She noted that the bloc has recently signed major trade agreements with other partners, including Japan. Meanwhile, he is challenging steel and aluminum tariffs from the Trump administration – which remain in effect – before the World Trade Organization and he has promised the proportionality of retaliatory measures against US products
one must think of how this fits into the strategy, "she said. "Doing a deal would cause damage, in my opinion, to what you are trying to do on a broader level."
McAuley brought back from Paris
Read More
Trump reprimands NATO allies and asks them to double their defense spending targets
How a Russian pipeline projected to the US Europe divides the West
Today's cover of postal correspondents in the world
Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
[ad_2]
Source link
