The US say enough with the extensions and stop the hands of the negotiation with Europe. The Secretary for American Trade Howard Lutnick he assured that On August 1st “it is a binding deadline for duties”. However, he expressed optimism: «I am confident that we will find a solution. I believe that all these key countries will understand that it is better to open their markets to the United States rather than pay significant duties, “he added to an interview with CBS. In short, the countdown has started in view of the moment of truth. In the next 10 days Europe will intensify its efforts to get an agreement with the United States, convinced that the duties would be bad for everyone. But at the same time, despite the words of the Secretary of Commerce, he does not want to get too many illusions and avoid being unprepared where he never went to the final break with Donald Trump.
The EU, for days, has been blocked in this limbo, faithful to the old English adage: “Hope for the best, prepare for the worst”, “hopes for the best, prepared for the worst”. AND If things were to go wrong, it is inevitable to think more and more accurately to the possible reaction, the most unitary and effective possible. Still no coreper meeting has been formally convened, but transpires to Brussels the possibility that the representatives of the 27 can see each other between Tuesday and Wednesday and make the point on how to proceed to formulate the plan of measures to respond to the possibility of a failure to agreement with the USA.
Incalzed by the questions, the commission spokesmen reiterate as a mantra that everyone is “deeply engaged in negotiations with the United States to find a negotiated and mutually advantageous agreement”. They add that technical and political teams are fully involved, also specifying that the comparison at the highest levels will remain constant also on Wednesday and Thursday, when the president of the EU Commission, Ursula von der leyen, It will fly to Japan and China: «This mission in the East goes hand in hand with our commercial negotiations with the United States. At the same time – a spokesman continues – the comparison with the USA does not prevent us from continuing to collaborate with partners who share the same ideals, such as with India, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and now Japan. Countries – he concludes – with which we have many values and challenges in common, including trade, digital and defense ». Having said that, the measures on the table remain the notes: the EU has already approved potential duties for 21 billion ready to shoot on August 6 in response to the tariffs on metals, and a further list with another 72 billion products to respond to mutual duties and those on cars.
But now everyone also thinks about the next phase. And above all to thepossible appeal of the so-called bazooka, as well as the anti-coercion tool was renamed. So far all sources talk about it as an extreme measure and its use as a sort of last chance, currently unlikely. But it remains in the background and objectively risks dividing the 27 between hawks and doves. The hardest, ready to use it, are the French and the Spaniards, but also the Austrians and the Danes would agree to respond to the blow to the American tycoon. On the opposite front, that of the doves, there is Italy attentive to its role of privileged interlocutor with Washington, Germany, attempted by the Franco-German axis, but on this much more prudent scenario, Poland and above all the Baltic. Finally the Hungary of Viktor Orbanalways an opponent of Brussels and very close to Trump.