Sometimes being a spokesman for the European Commission is not easy, especially when every morning a fanfarería of the president of the main world power, Donald Trump comes from the other side of the Atlantic. “It is difficult to believe that we have to offer answers to this kind of thing, but as they have asked me, we believe that the European Union, since its foundation, has been a blessing to the United States.” That has been the spokesperson for Commerce, Ollof Gill, to the accusation of the populist leader that the EU was created to “fuck” his country.
From there, Gill has listed the reasons why EU formation have been beneficial for the US. “By creating a broad and integrated single market, the EU has facilitated trade, reduced costs for EU exporters and harmonized norms and regulations in all our Member States. As a result, US investments in Europe are very profitable. American companies have been able to invest and generate substantial income precisely because the EU is a large and unified market that is good for business, ”added the spokesman, who recalled that both powers represent the world’s largest comecial relationship with 1.5 billion euros a year.
Trump’s new barrage occurred, in addition, the same day that the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, planted in Washington the head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, who was already there. The meeting with Rubio was the main reason for Estonia’s trip to that country. It is not Rubio’s first ugly to the high representative, who invited him to participate in a meeting with the Foreign Ministers of the 27 that declined against what was happening with the one designating by Joe Biden, Anthony Blinken, whose presence in European acts was not unusual.
Trump also keeps the president of the European Commission in the waiting list, Ursula von der Leyen, who asked him to even take possession, but has not received it. However, the US president has met Emmanuel Macron, for example, to address the Ukraine War this week and will receive the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. In those meetings, European leaders try to converge with the need for Europe and kyiv to be at the negotiation table with Vladimir Putin and that the US ensures security guarantees for Ukraine once the war ends.
Brussels says that conversations are “constructive” despite attacks
Who did meet with his American counterpart was the Commissioner for Commerce and Economic Security, Maros Sefcovic, in Washington last week to address the threat of the resurgence of the commercial war. As a consequence of that meeting, Brussels opened to reduce the tariffs imposed on the importation of US vehicles, which amount to 10% compared to the 2.5% imposed by that country to Europeans.
In the European Commission they ensure that these conversations were “constructive” and that they continue to negotiate at the political level with the Trump administration to avoid the new tariffs, but that clashes with the repetition of the threat that the president made on Wednesday, which encrypted the rate by 25%. “The European Union believes that we must work together to preserve these opportunities for our citizens and companies on both sides of the Atlantic, instead of working against each other. We defend dialogue, openness and reciprocity. We are willing to associate [con EEUU]as long as they respect the rules, ”Gill said.
From there, the European Commission reiterates that will respond proportionally to the commercial attack it receives. “We will defend our interests, those of companies and consumers,” said the community government co -mans, Arianna Podesta. Beyond that generic response, what they maintain in Brussels is that they cannot give more details until they know how far Trump comes with their tariffs. “They won’t get no response,” said Von der Leyen in mid -February.
Sánchez: “The EU has not been created against anyone”
For what the majority of European capitals press is so that, as long as tariffs on aluminum and steel enter into force, Brussels immediately restore extraordinary rates to US products that imposed in 2018 in response to Trump. Both US and the EU eliminated those barriers in 2021 and part of an agreement within the World Trade Organization. What is about to see is how far the EU would go if Trump finally expands the tariffs.
“There are those who say that the European Union was created to annoy others and it is not true. In fact, a good part of the wealth that this great country has today that we admire like the United States, is also thanks to Europe. The European Union has not been created against anyone, unlike the European Union, it was created in favor of multilateralism and understanding between countries of peace and economic development and social justice, ”said Sanchez in an act in Euskadi.
“Today the European Union is the largest commercial block in the world, greater than the United States and that China. We say it a few times, little is known, but it is so. We are the second largest economy in the world and is the region with the greatest social and environmental development on the planet, ”he has valued, as he did last week.
Source: www.eldiario.es
