“It is easier to send a letter that says: ‘Listen, we know that we have a certain deficit, or, in some cases a surplus, but not much. And here is what you have to pay to do business in the USA,” said Trump on Friday on board the presidential machine Air Force One. “We did that with the United Kingdom and it was very good for both sides,” continued Trump. “We did that with China and I think it’s very good for both sides.”
Trump systematically relies on tariffs in order to wrestle other countries in other areas. At the beginning of April, he imposed high customs for numerous states and shortly afterwards reduced them to ten percent for most countries for 90 days. During this time negotiations are to be conducted.
The deadline for the EU expires on Wednesday, for numerous other countries on Tuesday. The affected states try to make agreements with the United States to avert higher tariffs. US officials have signaled that several trade agreements could soon be announced.
In principle, the EU strives for an agreement on the basis of which could continue to be negotiated in the coming months. Trump threatened the EU with customs surcharges of 50 percent if it did not agree with the United States by Wednesday, but also indicated the possibility of extending the deadline. 50 percent inch would be five times the currently valid ten percent – this basic customs set introduced by Trump for most goods is already significantly higher than the previous customs level.
EU trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic had conducted further negotiations in Washington in the past few days and spoke of a “productive working week”.
With his customs policy, Trump triggered a dispute with trading partners worldwide. An increased US customs set of 25 percent already applies to certain products such as cars, and it is 50 percent for steel and aluminum products.
According to Brussels, the US tariffs make European goods worth 370 billion euros. The EU has already prepared counter -tariffs, but exposed to it for the period of negotiations. In addition, the EU countries are working on other tariffs, and Brussels could also act against US digital groups. The EU wants to avoid an escalation.
