• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

It seem Washington and Brussels can't agree what they have agreed to

As is usual for Trump, we’ll have to see what happens. ;)
 
A lot of conflicting contentions.

The OP's article quotes "the Commission", "Pharmaceuticals will, for the time being, be spared from the 15% tariff and instead remain under the current 0% rate until the Trump administration completes its Section 232 investigation into the sector. "There will be no tariffs on pharmaceuticals this Friday," a senior official said." and it gives a link that doesn't lead to any statement from the Commission.

On the other hand, Von Der Leyen came out with her statement which contradicts what the Commission supposedly said.

Allow me to go into some details. We have stabilised on a single 15% tariff rate for the vast majority of EU exports. This rate applies across most sectors, including cars, semiconductors and pharmaceuticals. This 15% is a clear ceiling. No stacking. All-inclusive. So it gives much-needed clarity for our citizens and businesses. This is absolutely crucial.

Today we have also agreed on zero-for-zero tariffs on a number of strategic products. This includes all aircraft and component parts, certain chemicals, certain generics, semiconductor equipment, certain agricultural products, natural resources and critical raw materials. And we will keep working to add more products to this list.

So...the problem doesn't appear to be that Washington and Brussels can't agree. The problem appears to be that Von Der Leyen and the Commission can't agree.

This is an EU problem...not a US problem.
 
The difference in each sides version is incredible. Trump lied through his teeth on this just as he did with Japan.

I suspect Trumpers will not bother to read and understand this but they need to know what these "deals " really are and understand Trump is lying to them .

Energy purchases​


What the White House says: The EU will "double down" on its purchases of American energy, buying $750 billions' worth by the end of Trump's second term. In practice, this will amount to $250 billion each year.


What the Commission says: The Commission, which negotiated the deal on behalf of all 27 member states, lacks the competence to determine the amount, the type and the origin of the energy supplies acquired by governments and companies. Therefore it cannot legally bind the bloc to the goal of spending $750 billion on American energy.


The announced number is an indication based on the needs the EU will face in the coming years to phase out the consumption of Russian fossil fuels, an arduous effort that has boosted the role played by American liquefied natural gas (LNG).


"It's important to remember that the European Commission is not buying any of these commodities and neither is the US government selling any of this," a Commission spokesperson said. "These are all commercial decisions made by the companies: those companies that buy and those companies that sell."

Investment pledge​


What the White House says: The EU will invest $600 billion in the US by the end of Trump's second term. "This new investment is in addition to the over $100 billion (that) EU companies already invest in the United States every year," the fact sheet says.


What the Commission says: As with the energy purchases, the Commission is unable to design and implement investments on behalf of the private sector. The $600 billion is another indication based on the executive's contacts with industry.


"It's not something the EU, as a public authority, can guarantee – it's something based on the intention of private companies," a senior official said.


The aggregated $600 billion figure might shrink once the impact of the EU-US trade deal, which is disadvantageous for the bloc, begins to take effect.


Despite the uncertainty, the White House is portraying the energy and investment pledges as a fait accompli.
 
The difference in each sides version is incredible. Trump lied through his teeth on this just as he did with Japan.

I suspect Trumpers will not bother to read and understand this but they need to know what these "deals " really are and understand Trump is lying to them .

Energy purchases​


What the White House says: The EU will "double down" on its purchases of American energy, buying $750 billions' worth by the end of Trump's second term. In practice, this will amount to $250 billion each year.


What the Commission says: The Commission, which negotiated the deal on behalf of all 27 member states, lacks the competence to determine the amount, the type and the origin of the energy supplies acquired by governments and companies. Therefore it cannot legally bind the bloc to the goal of spending $750 billion on American energy.


The announced number is an indication based on the needs the EU will face in the coming years to phase out the consumption of Russian fossil fuels, an arduous effort that has boosted the role played by American liquefied natural gas (LNG).


"It's important to remember that the European Commission is not buying any of these commodities and neither is the US government selling any of this," a Commission spokesperson said. "These are all commercial decisions made by the companies: those companies that buy and those companies that sell."

Investment pledge​


What the White House says: The EU will invest $600 billion in the US by the end of Trump's second term. "This new investment is in addition to the over $100 billion (that) EU companies already invest in the United States every year," the fact sheet says.


What the Commission says: As with the energy purchases, the Commission is unable to design and implement investments on behalf of the private sector. The $600 billion is another indication based on the executive's contacts with industry.


"It's not something the EU, as a public authority, can guarantee – it's something based on the intention of private companies," a senior official said.


The aggregated $600 billion figure might shrink once the impact of the EU-US trade deal, which is disadvantageous for the bloc, begins to take effect.


Despite the uncertainty, the White House is portraying the energy and investment pledges as a fait accompli.
The problem here is that Von Der Leyen and her own Commission have a conflict.

Trump didn't lie about the deal she made with him.

Bottom line, though, is if the EU doesn't comply with the deal she and Trump made, then the deal is off and the EU gets hit with a 30% across the board tariff. It's up to the EU to work to avoid that.
 
Clearly the markets are unimpressed.
 
Seems Trump claims he has secured deals the Commission does not have the authority to secure. The Commission can't force the private market to buy American energy. The energy companies buys energy, and they are regulated by the national governments, not the European Union.
 
Back
Top Bottom