Brussels – This week, trade ministers convened following a recent suspension of tariffs between China and the United States, as well as a new trade deal between the US and the UK announced last week. Additionally, there are reports of an invitation to negotiate from the Trump administration to the EU Commission.
Sweden’s trade minister, Benjamin Dousa, described the agreements with China and the UK as “baby steps.”
“I firmly believe that in the coming weeks, the EU will not finalize an agreement with the USA,” he stated after the ministerial discussions.
However, Dousa is optimistic that some form of agreement is possible in the future. He believes that the EU can exert significantly more pressure on President Donald Trump than the UK can, employing both incentives and penalties.
“If that is the path Europe is heading down, then the USA should be prepared for us to implement countermeasures. This is far from a free trade agreement, and I’m not even sure I would characterize it as a trade agreement at all,” he commented on the UK deal.
The EU is considering a range of countermeasures, including tariffs on US goods totaling 95 billion euros, as well as specific restrictions on exports of certain steel products and chemicals to the US. This comes alongside the suspension of 25 billion euros in tariffs on US goods that the EU paused in April.
“We will thoroughly analyze this situation to safeguard Swedish jobs and the economy. We want to apply pressure on the USA, but we also need to ensure that this does not undermine Europe’s and Sweden’s competitiveness,” Dousa emphasized.
A decision regarding the countermeasures is expected to be made in early June.
(May 16)
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