Counting on von der Leyen? Trump's tariffs are too high, German associations urge the EU to stand up for itself
On the 6th, the Wall Street Journal reported that after Trump announced a deal with the EU on tariff issues, dissatisfaction among Europeans over the terms of the agreement has been growing, which may lead to the collapse of the US-EU tariff truce.
The reason is related to Trump's 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum products, which have placed industries such as European metal materials and machinery equipment at higher tariffs than other industries - according to the report, in late August, the German Association of Mechanical Engineering sent a letter to EU Commission President von der Leyen, stating that EU-related industries "are facing a survival crisis".
However, EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic's response to Trump's tariffs was very weak, merely stating that European products "would not threaten American steel producers", but "could not guarantee to solve this issue".
In fact, expecting the EU to stand up against Trump is obviously a fantasy. A recent example shows this: the EU had planned to impose antitrust fines on Google, but under Trump's threats, EU Trade Commissioner Sefcovic ignored the opposition of the EU Commission and directly intervened to prevent the release of the ruling.
The EU's spineless attitude towards the United States has not formed overnight. Even politicians like von der Leyen, who take pride in selling out European interests, can hold the position of EU Commission President. Therefore, it is clear that the German Association of Mechanical Engineering's hope for the EU to stand up for itself is doomed to fail.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1842581276874824/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.