The Trump-Juncker agreement: the EU divided between German satisfaction and the French Red Line – International



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The agreement between the EU and the United States announced by Donald Trump and Jean-Claude Juncker wakes up hopes of truce in the trade dispute that threatens Berlin first, as well as issues in Paris, reminiscent of his red lines. Germany, whose record trade surplus and auto industry are in the collapse of the US president's protectionist policy, expressed satisfaction on Thursday, according to Rador, who quotes La Libre.

Berlin considered "constructive" the result of a meeting between Donald Trump and the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, spokeswoman Angela Merkel, spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer. "Not only has the threat of the car tax been lifted, but we have agreed to cooperate against unfair trade practices and a reform of the WTO (World Trade Organization)," said the Minister of Foreign Affairs Heiko Maas. The automotive sector has around 800,000 employees in Germany.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte also "hailed the positive outcome of the discussion between Juncker and Trump". "It is very important that the EU and the United States cooperate on trade and do not oppose it," pleaded the liberal leader

"Reluctance in the business community"

" The reason has prevailed (…). Removing tariffs and other barriers to trade and investment is beneficial for businesses and citizens on both sides of the Atlantic ", commented Pierre Gattaz, president of European Business Europe Business Organization

. more skeptical. Paris asks for a "clarification", opposed to any global trade agreement with the United States, in the voice of the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire in an interview with AFP

German Social Democrats are not convinced.

Thus, the EU's negotiating position with Washington is "weakened," lamented Bernd Lange, chairman of the international trade committee of the European Parliament, in an interview with AFP
Mr. Trump did not withdraw Mr. Lange said that, given the fact that the risk of trade war remains in the negotiations to come

Uncertainties

"A good trade negotiation can not to be done on a clear basis and can not be done under pressure, "warned Bruno Le Maire.

There is no doubt, he recalled, a comprehensive trade agreement between the United States and the EU, as Secretary Treasury, Steven Mnuchin, last Sunday at the end of A meeting of the G20 Finance in Buenos Aires.
"We do not want to enter into a negotiation of which we have seen the limits with the TTIP, the agreement that the negotiations between Brussels and the administration of Barack Obama failed two years ago, has warned the French minister.He also called on agriculture to "stay out of the negotiating field", assuring that "Europe will not compromise its rules."

"We have high standards in sanitary, food and environmental matters and rules of production "
Finally, the Mayor called for" access to US public markets to be part of the negotiations ", saying that today hui they are "in the"

Many other points remain suspended: Mr Juncker promised to import more soya and liquefied gas from the United States into the EU

. " can be bureaucratically ordered, there must be a demand for the market, "notes the German Ifo economic institute, based in Munich (southern Germany).

Questioned at a daily press conference at the European Commission in Brussels, a porter Alexander Winterstein, said that "a very high-level working group" will focus on the soya and LNG issues, recognizing that he is not able to say "how will this be done in practice?" (Radar Pickup)

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