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EU COUNTRIES HAVE approved a raft of tariffs targeting US goods including whiskey and motorcycles in retaliation against painful duties imposed by President Donald Trump on European metals.
Europe’s move fuels a growing transatlantic trade war just days after a disastrous G7 summit in Canada at which Trump lambasted his allies on the issue and refused to adopt a joint statement.
The European countermeasures aimed at €2.8 billion euros ($3.3 billion) of American imports come after Trump on 1 June followed through on his threat to impose tariffs on European steel and aluminium exports.
“Member states have today unanimously supported the commission’s plan for the adoption of rebalancing measures on the US tariffs on steel and aluminium,” a European Commission source told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The source added that the EU tariffs would take effect “in coming days”, with other officials saying they would be implemented by the beginning of July.
Brussels first drew up the list in March when Trump initially floated the 25 percent tariffs on steel imports and 10 percent on aluminium, which also target Canada, Mexico and other close allies.
From blue jeans to motorbikes and whiskey, the EU’s hit-list of products targeted for tariffs with the US reads like a catalogue of emblematic American exports.
The list does not specifically name brands but European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker spelled out in March that the bloc was “preparing import duties for US products including Harley-Davidson, bourbon and Levi’s jeans.”
‘Breeches of cotton denim’
The EU imported some €415 million worth from the US in 2017, along with another 150 million euros’ worth of whiskey without the “bourbon” designation.
Cranberries, cranberry juice, orange juice, sweetcorn and peanut butter are among the other food products targeted.
The list hits clothing including “trousers and breeches of cotton denim” along with bed linen and men’s leather footwear, eye make-up and lipsticks, plus a host of steel products.
“The EU will exercise its rights on US products valued at up to €2.8 billion of trade, as notified to the WTO (World Trade Organisation),” the commission source added.
Transatlantic ties are at their lowest level for many years due to rows over a host of issues including the tariffs, the Paris climate agreement, the Iran nuclear deal and the new US embassy in Jerusalem.
But relations plumbed new depths at the weekend as Trump abruptly rejected the text of a G7 statement and bitterly insulted his Canadian host, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Trump claimed America had been obliged to levy the metals tariffs as it has been exploited as the world’s “piggy bank” under existing arrangements.
His counterparts however said they were equally determined to protect “rules-based” international trade.
Trump’s outbursts were the latest in which he has clashed with America’s closest allies, even as he has had warm words for autocrats like North Korean leader Kim Jong un, with whom he had a historic meeting on Tuesday, and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
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Amazon, eBay, McDonalds, Facebook, Twitter, Bank Of America, Merrill Lynch, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, IBM, Coca Cola, Exxon Mobil, Verizon, Google …. slap them all with a 35% tariff for selling any goods or services in the EU.
We need to develop our own industries and need to get these American interlopers out of our economies, they are holding us back.
Goldman should be charged 70% for its disservice to humanity.
@Michael Powell: perhaps but he still has a lot more likes than you
@alphanautica: Yeah! And screw all those people here that are employed by those companies and all the tax and economic activity they bring.
@Larry Roe: “more Likes”.. What are you still in school? Run along home there with your gold star for your mammy. Adults getting excited over likes. My goodness. If you think Ireland is better off without multinationals employing 10s of thousands then the country has no hope
@Michael Powell: ah Michael.did I upset you xx
@Ricky Spanish: they are a threat to our national security, like Canadian dairy
Make Europe Great Again #MEGA
Sounds a lot better than #MAGA
@Larry Roe: You’re obviossly a child. He’s just tolerating you.
You think getting “likes” is the reason people post here?
Go back to Facebook.
@alphanautica: let’s nationalise the lot of them!
@Bat Daly: I post for likes, please like me Batman.
@alphanautica: ehhhh, I work for Coca Cola, is it alright if I keep my job? I have a family and mortgage and I haven’t heard of any Irish cola companies been held back by coke!
@Michael Powell: You’re the plonker if that’s all you’ve got to contribute.
@Bat Daly: you see bat anyone who addresses someone as a plonker or stupid doesn’t deserve to be taken seriously
@Ricky Spanish: dead right ricky, bet the slaves the world over agree with you. Cant upset bossman.
Great. They’ll just pass it on to the consumer.
@Fr.Todd Unctious: no need for bourbon anyway!
@Fr.Todd Unctious: True, but consumers will have the choice to buy Irish or Scotch instead of Jack Daniels and Bourbon.
@Fr.Todd Unctious:
Jeans and whiskey, this is going to hit Shane MacGowan hard.
@Fr.Todd Unctious: that’s the idea, encouraging the consumer to choose EU products over US ones
@Fr.Todd Unctious: Trump thinks that it’s 1950 where half of the world is destroyed by war and other half is bankrupt by it. With USA the only one standing. Well it’s 2018 and USA is to be deposed of it’s top spot by China. India is not far behind. With both countries having rapidly growing high and middle class craving real branded products and willing to pay more for it than consumers anywhere else. EU has other trade options now. Trump wanted to fight China. Well, he just gave them the throne.
@Fr.Todd Unctious: what else are they supposed to do?
@Ruairi Gagarin: Only teenagers drink Jack Daniels anyway
@Guy Incognito: and Slash.
It begins. EU holds all the cards here.
@David Linehan: really? You think EU hold a better hand?
@Peter Sutton Fitzgibbon: Im sure he does or he wouldn’t have posted it
@David Linehan: a United EU teamed up with Canada Japan and Mexico and even China holds all the cards to fight back on all this
@Peter Sutton Fitzgibbon: Hi Peter could you explain further why you suspect the EU don’t hold a better hand ?
@Joe Caulfield: well if you studied your trumpenomics Joe you would know that a smaller economy is more powerful than a bigger economy: it’s called the “law of all powerful small hands”
@David Linehan: hmmm , thats about as logical as ‘you kill me and I will kill you straight back’ mentality….I think you will find that both sides get damaged in a trade war it is just a matter of to what extent – usually the other side always think they have the better hand but not History and logic usually shows that not to be the case …..America hits Steele , Eu Hits Us Products – America will hit back with Car tariffs , EU will hit back with….and so it goes until some sense emerges from both sides….
@Dave Hammond: Exactly. That’s what the EU and China have been saying. Trump doesn’t care though and is firing ahead with it. The EU, Canada and China cannot and will not let these tariffs go without retaliation. That doesn’t mean they want to though.
It’s incredible for me to watch America becoming best friends with communist countries while simultaneously starting fights with old trusted allies. Where will this fiasco end. Fascinating yet ludicrous.
@2thFairy: Don’t forget the admiration Trump has for Chairman Kim and his brutal autocratic rule and inhumane gulags!
@2thFairy: He’s turning his back and bad mouthing his allies and snuggling up to authoritarians! He’s a wannabe authoritarian. And a lot of Americans are ok with this. He doesn’t want to bad mouth the KKK also.
Trump supporters moan about globalists, but its American multinationals that are the big globalists, ie. Apple, Microsoft, McDonalds, Burger King, Levis, Ford, Shell, and so on. What makes America great is its brand image and Trump is doing a lot of damage to it. So the EU targeting iconic American brands is a clever move in my opinion as Trump doesn’t seem to understand that trade is about brands, not about steel production. Besides its China that is causing the problem with steel and aluminium production as they are dumping cheap steel on the world markets. Its the reason why its so important to be in a big trading block so that European interests can be represented in the wider-world? Obviously a small little country like a 3/4 of Ireland nation (ROI) will have little leverage with economic giants like USA or China.
@David Jacobsen:
Looks like Raging Bull’s IQ is above average!
@David Jacobsen: Talking of ‘brand image’ bought a pair of jeans in Asda the other day for £7 and the inside label says that they were made in Bangladesh for Walmart in Chile. The product was just as good in my view as a pair of Levi costing 50€.
@Chris Kirk: 50 euro? You must’ve bought them about 15 years ago. Levi’s are all about 100 quid or more.
Anyway, Bangladesh, Chile, Asda, Walmart? would you not support your own local artisanal jeans maker, distributer, stockist? I got a lovely pair of organic “Fians” for 600 quid
@Alan Carmody: Indeed Alan it is many years since I bought Levi’s as a casual fashon statement. These days it is to wear a pair of jeans to work around the house in. Usually a pair of M&S or Dunnes jeans for less than £30 (35€) but then it cost me 10€ to get the legs shortened. So you could say that my £7 jeans will end up costing £15 sterling, can’t complain though…..
@David Jacobsen: Shell are Anglo-Dutch.
@Chris Kirk: where did you get the levis for €50?
The price of a Pu$$y Hats will now be out of reach for the average Commie/SJW
@David Jacobsen: I agree with the sentiment but there is a lot wrong with your assessment that ‘ Trump doesn’t seem to understand that trade is all about brands’ – it is not , it is far far bigger and more complicated than just the branded goods segments you mentioned – you listed the common American branded consumer goods that we use ( although Shell is not an American brand – it is Anglo Dutch but I digress ) – I agree it is China causing a problem with Steele and Aluminum overproduction and that Trump thinks the way to address that problem is to start a tariff war with its allies – and in doing so he mistakenly thinks that ANY country that the US does not have surplus with should be slapped with new tariffs – well thats not going to actually address the China problem but it IS going to start an uncecesscary tariff war with Allies that will only serve to damage both the US and EU. The value of non branded goods between the EU and US is colossal and being Trump he will probably have to get a few push backs from his base when their jobs and costs are hit in the ‘tariff war’ before he realises his folly.
@Thomas Devlin: Can’t remember, it was a long time ago….1980′s.
Will the USA slap a tariff on Taytos and TK red lemonade in retaliation? This could mean war.
@Garreth Byrne: They should slap a tarrif on US armaments and planes imports, that would hurt Trump.
@Garreth Byrne: I think TK Red is on the chemical weapons list and banned already.
Trump doesn’t care about these little taxes, time to hit the big U.S companies Boeing aircraft, General Electric etc.
@Dotty Dunleary: He has already hit Boeing badly all by himself. They have had to pull out of orders with Iran worth billions. Airbus says thanks. We don’t have to do anything. Trump is doing mighty fine on his own hitting his own industry.
@Paul Furey: Not as simple as that. The US will typically deny import and export licenses for companies that do business with sanctioned regimes. If airbus went in defiantly, it’s likely they would end up on the exclusion list and american companies would risk their own export licences by doing business with them. The supply chain is too interlinked at this point.
Thankfully I don’t wear Levi’s or ride a Harley so I’m grand nor do I drink whiskey
@Tom Harpur: They should hit Budweiser and other US beers….
@Tom Harpur: Just wait til that mid life crisis hits… you’ll be broke!
@Chris Kirk: I don’t beleive that will work as if I recall correctly it says on the side of the bottle that those beers are brewed and bottled in Europe. Therefore not imported. Could be wrong cause its been a long time since I drank that flavoured water.
I’ll just wear black jeans from now on, Drink buckfast and drive a car.
I am paying 30 cent extra a ltr for diesel ring edd trump the tosser got in to power
@laurence o neill: You can blame Israel for that…..
Where are most of these Levis made anyway ?
USA, Far East ?
Does it effect US goods made in the EU for the EU such as Southern Comfort made in Ireland?
@Conor Nolan: Sorry Conor but thoughtful questions are duly ignored on this site. Ranting and raving is the norm around here. I don’t think so is my answer to your question but I am not sure. Good question though.
@Conor Nolan: Southern Comfort and similar American products are imported in concentrate form and effectively “diluted” here. There’s no real production involved. I would presume the concentrate will be subject to the new tarrifs
There’s too much choice anyway. This will simplify life a bit.
Afghanistan is the graveyard of great empires.
Checkout how many great empires are fall in dust while conquering Afghanistan.
Everyone try to rule Afghanistan from Alexander the great to NATO.
https://newsblinks.blogspot.com/2018/06/afghanistan-is-graveyard-of-great-US-Russia-USSR-Alexander-Persians-Nato.html
Why didn’t trump bring in a tariff on Chinese built iPhones I wonder
It’s time to move toward Trumps aim of zero tariffs among G7. End the hypocrisy.
@Just Eoïn: True Eoin Walsh but that would make too much sense for the hysterical masses and it would mean a more level playing . The EU have decided to hold on to their unfair advantage on steel and aluminum. They have also decided to drag in other products which is unfortunate and unnecessary.
@Just Eoïn: stupidest comment ever. You and Joe clearly don’t have a breeze of how EU industried would be decimated by cheap far east labour. Cluelessness summarised in a 2 comments
@JustOneScoop: Just like western europes industries were decimated by cheap eastern european labour.
Ban the export of Mercedes cars into the US
Trump kim putin v The world …
Breakin news!!! Conor mc Gregor to meet president Trump over whiskey ban in ireland!
Anyone thinking of becoming a Hells Angel should hold off for a while
Wao European union vs Us
Ah no Bourbon is expensive enough
Ffs not whiskey
@Colm Lyons: it’s not real whisky
Shane drinks gin.
Who wears Levi’s anyway? Or drinks bourbon?
@JeremiahMcDonagh: Too many rich fat people in first world countries.
Trump has won. Chaos will ensue and he will get richer off the people who champion him. Delicious.
Bike clubs hit badly so.
have your say