According to the information they came to European diplomats, Washington is now looking for additional concessions – including a basic customs duties of at least 15 percent of the majority of European products – which caused anger in Brussels and Berlin, writes the Wall Street Journal.
Untle reached that he had expected a compromise with the US President Donald Trump, which would retain the basic customs to 10 percent, which he would only be a difficult concession for many of the 27 members. However, after US officials signaled the change in paragraph, Germany – so far more moderate in access – approached the forth, the French Confrontation Line.
“There is still time for negotiations,” said one German official on Friday. “But if they want a war, it will have a war.”
EU Member States are now pressed by the European Commission to prepare stronger countermeasures against American companies, which would continue to go away from ordinary customs, if the deal is not reached by 1. August – the deadline determined by Trump.
EU and the US trade relations are the largest in the world – amend goods and services in value for more than five billion dollars. But from Brussels, they say that all the options are on the table.
The European Commission officially said that it still wants a deal that would be “mutually useful”, but added that in the case of failure to use all the instruments available, index.hr.
The US Secretary of Star Howard Lutnick still expressed optimism on Sunday: “I’m sure we’ll reach a deal. And it will be great for America, because the president stands behind the American people,” he said for CBS.
In the past few months, the European Commissioner for Moroš Šefčovich traveled to Washington, maintained numerous talks and messages with American officials, and offered the customs and semiconductor in value of more than a dozen billion dollars.
Despite that, Trump threatened with 30 percent of the customs at most European imports – much more than 20 percent.
Until recently, Germany has asked for a quick assembly of agreement, but now supported the use of the so-called Anti-Corrental instrument – a mechanism that allows the introduction of economic countermeasure against countries used by economic blackmail. This mechanism has never been used so far, but is described as the strongest EU trade weapons.
“We have not reached the point in which we would activate it,” said the President of the European Commission Ursula von Der Leyen earlier this month. But that could change – the Commission has already begun to prepare specific measures that could be introduced quickly.
Among the possible measures, they have leaned on American digital services, limits of US companies to the European Public Procurement Market and additional customs. The EU already has a ready two customs parcel worth over $ 100 billion, which include products such as plane, peanut butter and whiskey. Another package is not yet formally approved, but could be activated quickly.
European officials still hope to agree. They do not plan to run any countermeasures before Trump’s deadline 1. Augusta. But clearly they say they are preparing to “possible conflict” that could have high costs for both sides.
Detached agreement that was involved in the table the European purchase of American energy and chips, and acceptance of the basic customs duties of 10 percent. Key details, such as exemptions for certain sectors and possible relief for the European car industry, were still negotiating.
But optimism has subsided. Three days after Chefhovich in the European Parliament said that “our negotiations save the EU from larger customs,” Trump published a letter in the social networks from 30 percent.
After the last round of negotiations in Washington, he heard that the United States would seek the basic customs of at least 15 percent, without reducing existing customs from 25 percent to European cars, and with possible customs duties of 100 percent on pharmaceutical products.
Even German officials, who previously believed that the Trump threats of the tactical maneuver, have now changed the attitude. The knowledge that the United States is looking for larger customs and rejects concessions around the car, encouraged Berlin to support and possible countermeasures for the first time.
“We have to decide how much we are still ready to give in – and what we will do if the agreement fails,” said one European diplomat. “All options are painful.”
(Vijesti.ba)
