[Rick_Michael]

“100% free trade with the EU is absolutely possible and could be done within very few years, the problem is that the US would also have to give up trade restrictions. E.g.: Lufthansa and British Airways would want to be able to operate flights within the US or buy up their American partner airlines (like e.g. Jetblue etc.). They can’t do that now.”

Not that I’m against your propostions, but where do you get the sense that the EU would make those compromises?

[wolf78]

Not that I’m against your propostions, but where do you get the sense that the EU would make those compromises?

EU tariffs on US products are not that high, the loss in revenue for the EU would be negligible. [German chancellor] Merkel suggested a free trade zone encompassing the EU and the US a year or two ago to Bush. The British would be on board, so would in all likelyhood the Poles. France under Sarkozy is moveable. It was the EU that was pushing an "open skies" agreement even if that means that currently US airlines enjoy more rights within the EU than the other way around.

Right now I see the US as the bigger obstacle to completely free trade between the two blocs.