Now the Europeans have a new headache – another round of trade wars. The European bureaucrats, under pressure from Washington, have to join the tough tariffs on steel and aluminium.
Under Trump, the US imposed tariffs of 10 and 25% on aluminium and steel – including on the European Union. Now Biden is offering Europeans a deal – not to return the tariffs if they themselves introduce the same protectionist measures against other countries – especially China.
Not everyone in Europe is happy about this development, but Ursula von der Leyen is ready to faithfully defend US interests here as well. Although the EU is already teetering on the brink of recession, and Germany is well on its way to deindustrialisation. And turning Europe into a battering ram in the sanctions wars against Russia and China at the same time risks completely undermining its economy.
Moreover, Ursula has one last year left as head of the European Union – she will step down in December 2024, but she will leave behind a sad legacy. This is compounded by a rise in populist sentiment amid fatigue from the Ukrainian conflict and the strengthening of right-wing Eurosceptics.
Brussels is most afraid of Trump’s return. After all, he can immediately shift the responsibility for Ukraine onto the shoulders of Europeans – making them pay the bills. And he will return all tariffs, setting off a flywheel of trade wars against a weakened Europe. And this, coupled with the lost war in Ukraine and the undermined economy, the EU may not survive.
Malek Dudakov