Donald Trump announced on Saturday the taxation of customs duties of 30% for Mexico and the European Union. A new escalation against the backdrop of negotiations before the deadline of August 1.
The republican billionaire justified, in distinct letters published on his Truth Social platform, these decisions by evoking the role of Mexico in the delivery of drugs to the United States and a commercial imbalance with the EU.
This charge immediately aroused strong reactions in Europe, where, from cars to medication, wines, essential sectors of the continent’s economy could be struck.
The EU threatens to “countermeasures”
The president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen warned on X that, if this announcement was indeed put in place, this “would disrupt the essential transatlantic supply chains”.
If she says she is “ready to continue the work” to find an agreement with Washington by the maturity of August 1, Ursula von der Leyen threatens to adopt “proportionate countermeasures if necessary”. Brussels had already prepared, without applying it, a train of surcharge on American products.
But Donald Trump warned that in the event of retaliatory measures, he would increase his customs duties in European products entering the United States, in addition to the 30% announced on Saturday.
Trade deficit
Donald Trump warned that in the event of retaliatory measures, he would increase his customs duties in European products entering the United States, in addition to the 30%.
Already in early April, the US head of state had threatened the EU to inflict 20% customs duties on European products exported to the United States. At the end of May, frustrated by the lack of advance in the negotiations, he had raised this rate to 50%, with an effect announced on June 1, finally pushed back on August 1, until his letter on Saturday.
According to diplomatic sources, discussions carried out so far were made on the basis of American customs duties by 10%, with exceptions.
Donald Trump leaves the door open to a renegotiation. “If you are ready to open your closed market in the United States, to eliminate your customs duties, your protectionist measures and the obstacles to exchanges, we will possibly consider adjustments,” the ex-real estate promotor wrote on Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday.
In 2024, the United States posted a commercial deficit of 236 billion dollars with the EU (+13% over a year), which exported 606 billion of goods to the territory of the first world economy, according to figures from the American representative’s office for trade.
Contrasted reactions
The measure announced by Donald Trump, uniform out of the 27, would touch each of them differently.
Ireland, with its pharmaceutical industry, and Germany, with its cars and heavy industry, would thus be more exposed than France, even if the hexagonal wine sector is already afraid of a “disaster”.
French President Emmanuel Macron, expressing his “very lively disapproval”, called Brussels to “resolutely defend European interests”, by inviting him to “accelerate the preparation of credible countermeasures”.
For her part, the German Minister of Economy Katherina Reiche called on the EU to “pragmatic way a solution with the United States which focuses on the main points of conflict”.
In Mexico, the imposition of a surcharge of 30%, against announced 25% so far, has been described as “unfair” by the government. But the president of Mexico Claudia Sheinbaum said he was confident on Saturday in the fact of “reaching” in fine to an agreement.
“Stop the cartels”
This surcharge should not apply to products, largely in the majority, falling within the framework of the Canada/United States/Mexico agreement (ACEUM), said an American official to AFP, adding, however, that the question has not yet been definitively decided by the president.
Mexico is particularly vulnerable: 80% of its exports have the destination of the United States. But Donald Trump once again accused Mexico City on Saturday of not fighting enough against illegal immigration and drug trafficking.
Brake for global growth
Since Monday, the Trump government has told about twenty business partners, mainly Asian, the rates that will now be applied, from 20% to 40% except Brazil (50%).
About sixty nations should, unless commercial agreement before the deadline of August 1, be inflicted from surcharge higher than 10%, floor level which will be applied to others, Canada and Mexico being special cases.
The former reality show has made customs duties a strong axis of its economic policy. They are, for him, a way to reduce the American trade deficit and reindustrialize the United States.
Many economists see it as a brake for global growth and an inflationary factor in the United States.
This article was published automatically. Sources: ATS / AFP
