Visit our website:
http://www.france24.com
Like us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.English
Follow us on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/France24_en
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00The World News, the European Commission is vowing to react firmly and immediately against
00:05unjustified barriers to free and fair trade after Donald Trump said he would be announcing
00:1125% tariffs on imports from the EU very soon.
00:17Let's take a listen.
00:18The European Union's been, it was formed in order to screw the United States.
00:23I mean, look, let's be honest, the European Union was formed in order to screw the United
00:28States.
00:30And they've done a good job of it, but now I'm president.
00:34Well, for some reaction from Brussels, let's cross live now to France 24's Dave Keating.
00:39He's standing by for us.
00:41Dave, some tough words there from Donald Trump.
00:44EU capitals have been preparing for an announcement on tariffs.
00:48It seems like Emmanuel Macron's visit to Washington hasn't appeased Donald Trump.
00:53What is the very latest?
00:54What do we know?
00:56Yeah, I mean, this doesn't come as a huge surprise, the announcement for these tariffs,
01:01because I think here in Brussels, everyone has expected that no matter what these were
01:06coming or at least the announcement of them were coming.
01:09But of course, they have watched very closely what happened with Canada and Mexico, where
01:14Trump announced these 25% blank tariffs on all of the trade between the US and those
01:21countries, but then walked it back after those countries pledged to take some fairly
01:26symbolic measures, nothing really concrete.
01:30So there's been talk here about how exactly the EU should respond, given that experience
01:36with Canada and Mexico.
01:38We keep being told that the EU is prepared to immediately put into effect these retaliatory
01:45tariffs.
01:46We know last time around when Trump enacted tariffs on steel and aluminum from the EU,
01:53there were very quickly retaliatory tariffs on items of Americana, like blue jeans and
01:59whiskey, things that were seen as in particular affecting people in Trump's heartland of base
02:05supporters.
02:06This time, of course, the tariffs that he's talking about are much more significant.
02:10So the thought is the response has to be more significant.
02:13Now, that statement from the European Commission tonight in response to Trump's tariff was
02:18that the EU, Trump's threat rather, was that the EU will react firmly and immediately against
02:23unjustified barriers to free and fair trade, including when tariffs are used to challenge
02:28legal and non-discriminatory policies.
02:32So therefore suggesting that if this back and forth in terms of a trade war were to
02:38occur, that Trump, let's say the EU responds minorly, and then Trump takes that as a reason
02:44to retaliate majorly against the minor response, that the EU will then respond in kind.
02:50There's some saying that you should hold off on immediate retaliatory threats because of
02:55the experience with Canada and Mexico.
02:57But there are others that are saying, look, that was just a one month reprieve and we
03:01can't be doing this dance with the United States month after month for the next year.
03:06Also, the EU has a lot more trade heft than Canada or Mexico in terms of the way it can
03:13retaliate.
03:14It can really hurt the United States in a way that Canada and Mexico would struggle
03:18to be able to do.
03:19So when these tariffs actually get announced, and I think the expectation now is this is
03:23a question of when and not if, there will be a debate about how the EU should respond.
03:28And it's unclear who's going to win that debate.
03:31And Dave, in terms of that response, is the EU going to be speaking with one voice here?
03:36Various member states are going to be affected in a different manner to others.
03:41Some will be much more harder hit by these tariffs.
03:47In terms of trade, it is an EU competence.
03:50The EU member states have signed treaties giving the European Commission the authority
03:55to negotiate trade on their behalf.
03:57Individual EU countries could not conclude an individual trade arrangement with the United
04:02States even if they wanted to.
04:04They would be violating international law, EU law, if they did so.
04:08You know, when Trump says that the EU was formed to screw the United States, it's not
04:13exactly historically accurate.
04:15The EU was formed with the encouragement of the United States.
04:18But it's also true to say that if you were just discovering the European Union now, you
04:23would see it as an impediment to US power because it is the only thing that gives individual
04:29European countries some leverage when dealing with the United States.
04:32And again, that's why the EU has so much more powder here in terms of firing back against
04:38the United States than Canada or Mexico, because it is so much bigger and because it is
04:43actually a larger single market than the United States.
04:46So it's obvious why Trump wouldn't like the European Union, because it prevents the
04:51US from having the maximum amount of power and leverage over Europeans that it would like.
04:56But the fact of the matter is, even if individual European countries wanted to break away and
05:01be disunited on the trade front, legally, treaty-wise, they can't.
05:06It is the European Commission's decision at the end of the day.
05:10Dave, thanks so much.
05:11We'll leave it there for now.
05:12That's Dave Keating, our correspondent in Brussels.
05:16Moving on.