Posted on 02/09/2017 10:24:38 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
Iconic European products ranging from Roquefort cheese to Vespa scooters will soon be in Donald Trump’s sights.
The billionaire property tycoon won the U.S. presidency on a highly protectionist agenda and vowed to slash the country’s eye-watering deficits with leading trade partners. While China and Mexico have borne the brunt of his early threats, he now has a prime opportunity to box out some of Europe’s most famous exports.
Next Wednesday, the U.S. trade representative will hold a public hearing on slapping an eventual 100 percent import tariff on about 90 European products, particularly targeting agricultural products from France, Germany and Italy.
The potential duties derive from a transatlantic quarrel that has dragged on for more than 20 years over the EU’s refusal to accept imports of U.S. beef treated with hormones. Powerful U.S. farming groups are pushing the Trump administration to hit the EU hard. The EU has a €136 billion surplus with the U.S., making it particularly vulnerable to trade sanctions.
While most of the 90-odd products targeted by the U.S. retaliatory list are meats, Washington also has its knife out for motorbikes, chocolate, mustard, paprika, chestnuts and — bizarrely — hair clippers.
“If a tariff is put on Vespas, we would lose our business because some U.S. farmers want to inject their cattle with growth hormones” — Paul Henry, owner of a Vespa dealership in Oregon
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.eu ...
fyi
Not the Euro cheese!!!
Has he no mercy on the budgets of lunch-pail foodies?
Uh oh !
So what cheeses are we supposed to boycott? Got lots of local cheddar stored.
Vespas aren’t just made in Italy any more anyway. many of them are made in Vietnam, Taiwan, India, etc. - even for the US market. Same low quality, just now made in Asia. Possibly slightly less chance of electrical fires.
Oh no, this could hurt. Not chocolate. America can barely make good chocolate.
“paprika”
Noooooo!
If it ain’t from Parma. It ain’t cheese.
Oh no! I must hoard Baci ASAP!!
Agreed.
Ok I can live without European chocolate, but not without Parmigiano-Reggiano. There is no substitute!
Given what I already pay for Roquefort, a little more pain for the cause is okay.
Vespa never made that - it’s a modification done by the French.
I only purchase domestic cheese.. and wifey won’t let me have anything two wheeled with an engine. :-}
First off, the Europeans have a distinct shortage of foods right now. Too cool and too much rain and flooding. They are importing and paying triple the usual prices, so stock up now on whatever you want to use.
Secondly, I wish that the USA would do something to stop those hormone injections myself. I don’t want to eat food that has been injected with that or antibiotics either.
If that was done - problem solved, and no trade war.
I’m sure us Trump supporters will just love those skyrocketing food prices at our grocery stores.
Why can’t he just target European beef for the time being?
Just ban European beef. Easy-peasy. Anything beyond that is a trade war.
Oh no, tariffs on Euro cheese? No doubt the Europeans will immediately slap big tariffs on our moose exports! It’s war!
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