Slovak MEPs: EU must act together and united against US tariffs


Strasbourg – The European Union (EU) should respond to the imposition of American tariffs together and unitedly so that its response makes sense. Slovak Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) across political factions agreed on this, reports a TASR correspondent from Strasbourg.  

MEPs stated this after Tuesday’s speech by the European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, Maroš Šefčovič, in the EP plenary focused on trade matters.

Ľudovít Ódor (PS) reminded that Trump fulfilled the initial promises of imposing tariffs and expressed concerns that the USA might also impose tariffs on European cars. He also expressed hope that there is room for negotiations between the EU and the USA. “It’s disadvantageous for everyone, the entire world will suffer if individual countries close off. For me, the most painful thing is that we no longer have any rules in international trade. Then even investments don’t work well. Less wealthy countries and also American consumers will suffer the most,” he explained.

According to him, it is right to talk about EU countermeasures because “other great powers cannot dance on our heads”. “Countermeasures, yes, but we need to use all negotiating positions to prevent the imposition of further tariffs, and the Union should strive to preserve rules in international trade so that trade is according to them, and not according to feelings,” he added.

Monika Beňová (Smer-SD) pointed out that as an MEP she also remembers the first Trump era when the EU was building strategic autonomy for its strengthening, but in the end “nothing came of it” and now the European Commission came up with the proposal of a “strategic compass”, which she perceives more as marketing than an effort to resolve issues. “I don’t know how Trump’s decisions will turn out, it will also depend on the development of the American economy. Trump doesn’t take regard for anyone or anything. Certainly not for the EU, he has indicated several times that he regards member states more as his partners. It seems that the EU is on the defensive, and the American president is choosing with whom he will negotiate and with whom not. Ideally, it would be if the leaders agreed at the summit that their response would be to act unitedly,” she described the situation. According to her, the European Parliament has no reach for this; unity must be found and agreed upon by the leaders of the member countries of the Eurozone, and if they don’t do it together, it makes no sense.

See also  Amari Cooper puts ego aside for Bills: 'Winning is way more important' than stats

EP Quaestor Miriam Lexmann (KDH), who has just returned from the United States, stated that she repeatedly urged the EU to start negotiating with Trump and his administration as soon as possible because leading representatives of the Union have not yet met with him. “That is a huge mistake. We know how controversially Trump operates. We knew these steps would come. Trump announced it. He needs the other side to speak up, to sit down at the table and bring some counterproposal,” she explained.

She thinks it was a mistake that the EU waited until it received a concrete announcement and only then responded. She claims that if the Union wants to defend the interests of its citizens, it must push more, and that also applies to the Slovak government, which should have acted at the European level in favor of Slovaks’ interests instead of losing trust and asking questions about EU membership. “Slovakia is the most dependent on exports to the USA of all EU member countries. American tariffs will affect us the most, and that’s precisely why our government should have pushed the EU a long time ago,” she advised. (February 12)

“It’s disadvantageous for everyone, the entire world will suffer if individual countries close off. For me, the most painful thing is that we no longer have any rules in international trade. Then even investments don’t work well. Less wealthy countries and also American consumers will suffer the most.” Ľudovít Ódor



Source link

Related posts:

EU Message to Zelensky: You Are Not Alone

What Greenland’s Resources Mean for the EU

EC: First disbursements from the Growth Plan for WB between the second and third quarters of this ye...

Vicepremiér P. Kmec: Slovensku sa darí čerpať peniaze najrýchlejšie spomedzi štátov EÚ

Slovenia is not inclined to condition the disbursement of cohesion funds on reforms

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever participates in second consultation on Ukraine

Belgium supports additional budgetary room for defense

Dodiku Trial: Test for the Judiciary and the European Path of BiH

Ukraine: the military effort for security in Europe will have “consequences for French public financ...

Prouza criticizes the EU’s vision for agriculture, Výborný considers it a solid foundation

EC announces that farmers will not be forced to sell their products below production costs

Šefčovič in the USA: EU wants to avoid the scenario of customs measures and countermeasures

Fico: In Paris, a meeting of friends of war is taking place, Slovakia has nothing to do there

Trump’s IVF order: Democrats allege ‘PR stunt’ as anti-abortion groups bristle 

Judge signals he’s taking time to decide on dropping Adams charges

Microsoft unveils company’s first quantum computing chip

5 things to watch at this year’s CPAC

Hochul to Trump on congestion pricing: ‘We’ll see you in court’

Acting Social Security commissioner clarifies claims about people older than 100 getting benefits

Allies troll critics with references to King Trump

Cheney: Trump is ‘antithesis of everything Ronald Reagan stood for’

USAID contractors ask judge to hold Trump admin in civil contempt for violating order to lift spendi...

DHS fires roughly 400 probationary employees

Watch: Trump gives remarks at Saudi-led investors conference in Miami

Live updates: Trump says he plans to give Americans ’20 percent’ from DOGE cost cuts

Former NFL punter arrested for protest against pro-Trump city council

Trump floats using DOGE savings to pay Americans, pay down debt

Senate GOP dismayed by Trump, Zelensky war of words

Key GOP votes withhold support from House plan despite Trump’s backing

Trump says he plans to meet with some Democrats next week

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *