European Union officials delay their retaliation against President Trump’s rates and aluminum rates, including 50 percent rates of American whiskey, until mid-April, with the aim of perfecting the list of products that will be affected, while also allowing for more time to reach an agreement with the United States.
The European Commission has decided that all the tasters he announced earlier this month will come into force in mid-April, instead of starting on March 31, a spokesman, Olof Gill, said on Thursday.
« This provides additional time for discussions with the United States administration, » Gill said.
The EU was already consulting with its 27 member nations on specific items that will be subjected to new rates, a list of 99 pages that covers Everything, from underwear to soy products to machinery pieces. In total, European officials have said they expect to put tariffs up to € 26 billion ($ 28 billion).
But the European Plan has met with a firm response from Washington and European officials have been told that negotiations to prevent rates will not begin really until April, according to the Bloc’s commercial commissioner.
Trump has threatened to impose a crushing 200 percent of the rate On European champagne, wine and alcohol in response to European measures, and some European leaders of wine producing nations have since criticized the EU’s planned response. Giorgia Meloni, the Prime Minister of Italy, has warned against « Vicious circle« Of commercial measures, and François Bayrou, the Prime Minister of France, said that Europe was at risk of »hit the wrong goals. « »
The goal of delaying the first European Contarariffs wave is to « achieve the right balance of products, taking into account the interests of EU producers, exporters and consumers », while also staying open to a dialogue with the United States, said Mr. Gill on Thursday.
Maros Sefcovic, the EU Commissioner of Commerce, said In a speech In Brussels, on Thursday, Europeans believed that the United States was planning to impose additional rates on April 2, and that Trump administration officials did not want to negotiate until they were announced.
« Only then members will be able to participate in possible negotiations, » he said, adding that the EU would be flexible to try to respond to new measures.
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