Trump's proposed tariffs threaten EU‑U.S. trade relations
The Telegraph reports that Donald Trump is contemplating introducing a 10% tariff on goods from the European Union. The newspaper suggests that such a move would intensify the global trade war that began on Saturday, when the new US president instituted broad tariffs on goods imported from Mexico, Canada, and China.
A source close to Trump's administration indicated that there is no broad consensus, but "some are advocating for a 10% tariff on the EU." "They are discussing applying this to all EU imports," it states.
Another source informed "The Telegraph" that "Trump is testing the situation with Canada and Mexico, to determine what he can implement".
On Sunday, returning from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Trump stated that tariffs on the EU "will definitely happen". "I can say that because they've really taken advantage of us – we have a deficit of over 300 billion dollars," he added.
Trump criticises the European Union
Trump criticised the EU, asserting that "they don't take our cars, they don't take our agricultural products. They take almost nothing, while we take everything: from millions of cars to large quantities of food and agricultural products".
When asked for specifics, he did not detail either the potential tariff rate or the timing of their introduction, other than that it would happen "very soon".
According to CNN, Donald Trump is not accurate in claiming that the EU does not purchase American agricultural products. Government data indicates that in 2023, the EU purchased US agricultural products worth 12.3 billion USD, making it the fourth-largest export market for American agricultural and related products.
Meanwhile, according to a report by the European Automobile Manufacturers Association from December 2023, the EU is the second-largest export market for American vehicle exports. In 2022, 271,476 American vehicles were imported there, worth nearly 7.7 billion pounds.
Source: "The Telegraph", WP Wiadomości
