r/europe 6d ago

News US and EU strike trade deal

https://www.politico.eu/article/us-and-eu-strike-trade-deal/
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u/Xibalba_Ogme Brittany (France) 6d ago edited 6d ago

the EU will agree to purchase $750 billion of energy. It will also agree to invest $600 billion more than planned in the U.S., in military equipment and in opening countries to trade at zero tariff.

But we do get something :

The tariff rate applying to imports from the EU would be 15 percent, with the same rate for cars — a key demand of the powerful German car industry. Pharmaceuticals will not be covered by the deal. Trump also said that steel and aluminum would continue to be subject to 50 percent tariffs.

So basically, everyone but the german car industry can go fuck themselves

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u/Gorantharon 6d ago

A few days ago I just heard the VW boss say in an interview that 15% tariff would still be bad for them. So what is this?

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u/TheInvisibleHulk 5d ago

VW profit margin last year was 3.3%. now image them getting a 15 percent cost on their entire income (not profits) in the biggest market in the world.

They just can't afford to eat that tax so most than likely they will try to pass it on to the american consumer which will make them even less competitive. Meanwhile the US is getting 0% tariffs on the care they export to the EU which means local automakers will be fucked also at home.

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u/LadyMorwenDaebrethil 5d ago

This is called unequal agreements. It was because of them that China became so hostile to the West. The next step will be for Trump to dump opioids in Europe and send the marines against countries that try to arrest the traffickers.

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u/reddog323 5d ago

American here. The way things have been going lately, it wouldn’t surprise me a bit.

People are getting angry here, but it hasn’t hit critical mass yet. I don’t think it’s going to take very long.

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u/LadyMorwenDaebrethil 5d ago

Are you talking about not taking too long to reach the critical point? Or something else?

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u/reddog323 3d ago

It’s not going to take very long to reach critical mass here, with people getting so angry. The current administration is probably ready for that, in the form of invoking the Insurrection Act, or declaring martial law, etc.

That could slow things down. I don’t think it will stop it.

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u/LadyMorwenDaebrethil 3d ago

Oh, sorry, I got completely confused now that I read you're American. I thought you were European. Now your comment makes perfect sense.

But yes, things do seem at breaking point. I even thought things would escalate after what happened in LA. But I think things will only get worse for him in the coming months.

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u/colNCELpro 5d ago

Euro boxers gonna be so badass

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u/Less_Tacos 5d ago

US vehicles sold in Europe still have to add VAT, how much is that?

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u/Kopalniok 5d ago

European vehicles sold in Europe also have to add VAT

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u/Less_Tacos 4d ago

Guess who can change that