Europe is annoyed, not grateful
Trump’s tariff delay seen as 30 more days of limbo that could hurt the global economy
FRANKFURT, Germany — U.S. allies did not bother to conceal their annoyance Tuesday with he Trump administration’s last-minute decision to delay punitive aluminum and steel tariffs by a month, in their view leaving a sword of Damocles hanging over the global economy.
In Europe, the reprieve was seen not as an act of conciliation or generosity but instead as another 30 days of limbo that will disrupt global supply networks and undermine what has been an unusually strong period of growth.
European leaders, normally circumspect, are openly irritated that President Donald Trump’s protectionist assault is aimed at them despite decades of military alliance and shared values. And the European Union’s cautious, often ponderous approach to policymaking is clashing directly with Trump’s unpredictability and aggressiveness.
“The U.S. decision prolongs market uncertainty, which is already affecting business decisions,” the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, said in a statement Tuesday.
The commission said it was willing to continue negotiating with representatives for Trump,
but it was hard to see how they would find common ground.
The White House wants to reduce what it maintains is the U.S. trade deficit with the 28-member European Union and is seeking concessions, such as lower tariffs on American cars sold here.
The Europeans, however, say they will discuss the Trump administration’s concerns only after the bloc receives a permanent, exemption from the tariffs, which they regard as illegal.
“We will not negotiate under threat,” the commission said in the statement Tuesday.
The European Union regards the planned tariffs on steel and aluminum as a violation of international treaties and has already complained to the World Trade Organization, normally the arbiter of trade disputes.
The complaint lays the groundwork for the bloc to impose retaliatory tariffs on a long list of American products — including blue jeans, bourbon and Harley-Davidson motorcycles — as early as mid-June.
Economists say the biggest danger to the global economy is not so much the tariffs as the insecurity they sow among business managers.