logo
EU Threatens US Planes And Whiskey While Pressing For Deal

EU Threatens US Planes And Whiskey While Pressing For Deal

Brussels plans to target US goods including planes, cars and whiskey if trade talks with Washington fail, according to a list seen by AFP on Tuesday, as the bloc renewed its push for a deal.
Trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic was to talk to US counterpart Jamieson Greer Tuesday, a day after speaking with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
The European Commission said that Brussels was still hopeful for a "good outcome" in the tariffs standoff.
US President Donald Trump threw a curveball into months of EU-US negotiations at the weekend when he announced he would slap a 30-percent levy on the bloc's goods from August 1 if no deal was made.
Until Trump's ultimatum, the EU had been hoping for an accord last week that would stave off higher tariffs and avoid a damaging trade war with its biggest commercial partner.
On Monday, Brussels shared with member states a list of US goods worth 72 billion euros ($84 billion) that could be hit by levies if tariff negotiations fail -- with several capitals urging the bloc to toughen its stance.
The 202-page document, seen by AFP on Tuesday, lists big-ticket items like US-made aircraft, cars, chemicals and electrical equipment alongside sundry other items, such as live bees, camels, parrots, condoms and opium.
Bourbon whiskey, whose targeting faced resistance from France and Italy for fear of reprisals against European wine and spirits, also features.
So are nails, snails, and Christmas trees.
Commission spokesman Olof Gill declined to provide details of Sefcovic's Monday call with Lutnick, but said a technical team from the commission, in charge of trade policy for the 27-nation EU, was heading to Washington "as we speak".
"We are in the most sensitive stage of those negotiations right now, working towards getting an agreement in principle over the line before the deadline," he told reporters.
"We wouldn't be engaging in negotiations if we didn't think those negotiations could lead to a good outcome. So clearly, we think that an agreement in principle, as we have said, is within reach."
The commission's new list of reprisal targets comes in addition to a first package -- worth 21 billion euros -- which it drew up after Trump slapped tariffs on imports of EU steel and aluminium.
That retaliation remains suspended until early next month to allow for more negotiations, and Gill said the EU would not decide on imposing the second round of tariffs before August 1.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Trump Hits India With 25% Tariff And 'Penalty' Over Russia Ties
Trump Hits India With 25% Tariff And 'Penalty' Over Russia Ties

Int'l Business Times

time26 minutes ago

  • Int'l Business Times

Trump Hits India With 25% Tariff And 'Penalty' Over Russia Ties

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that imports from India will face 25 percent tariffs, while also announcing an unspecified "penalty" over New Delhi's purchases of Russian weapons and energy. The measures will kick in on Friday, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, adding to a bevy of other tariff hikes set to take effect the same day. In a separate post, Trump said the August 1 deadline "stands strong, and will not be extended." Trump has issued multiple delays to his so-called "reciprocal" tariffs since first announcing them in early April, while instituting an interim 10 percent baseline. The 25 percent tariff on India would be marginally lower than the rate announced in April, but is higher than those of other Asian countries that have struck preliminary trade agreements with Washington. India, the world's most populous country, was one of the first few major economies to engage the Trump administration in broader trade talks. But six months later, Trump's sweeping demands and India's reluctance to fully open its agricultural and dairy sectors have so far prevented New Delhi from sealing a deal. "Remember, while India is our friend, we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their Tariffs are far too high, among the highest in the World, and they have the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary Trade Barriers of any Country," Trump said Wednesday morning. He added that India has "always bought a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia, and are Russia's largest buyer of ENERGY, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to STOP THE KILLING IN UKRAINE." In addition to the 25 percent tariff, India will face "a penalty for the above," Trump said, without any specification. The measure comes as the 79-year-old Republican has signaled he intends to tighten US pressure on Moscow to halt fighting in Ukraine and negotiate a peace deal. On Tuesday, Trump said he was giving Russian President Vladimir Putin 10 days -- which would mean the end of next week -- to change course in Ukraine or face new tariffs. He had previously threatened to impose "secondary tariffs" that would target Russia's remaining trade partners -- such as China and India -- seeking to impede Moscow's ability to survive already sweeping Western sanctions. Trump has set out to upend the global economy by trying to leverage US economic power to squeeze trading partners with tariffs and force foreign companies to move to the United States. He has already announced deal outlines with five countries -- Britain, Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines -- as well as the one with the 27-nation EU. US and Chinese officials held talks this week in Stockholm on extending a trade truce that has temporarily lowered tariffs from soaring triple-digits. While no deal was announced at the meetings, both sides are eying an extension ahead of the August 12 deadline. Meanwhile Trump has threatened Brazil with 50 percent tariffs beginning Friday -- in part to pressure the South American ally to shut down the trial of far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro on coup charges. Trump has imposed many of his sweeping tariffs citing emergency authorities, which are being challenged in US court.

How do the EU's new EES passport checks affect the 90-day rule?
How do the EU's new EES passport checks affect the 90-day rule?

Local Germany

timean hour ago

  • Local Germany

How do the EU's new EES passport checks affect the 90-day rule?

"This system will strengthen security... by helping us identify over-stayers, prevent irregular movements, and reduce document and identity fraud," Magnus Brunner, the EU commissioner for migration, said on Wednesday as he confirmed the EES start date of October 12th, 2025. 90-day rule When travelling into the EU/Schengen zone, some travellers benefit from a visa-free travel allowance of 90 days in every 180. This doesn't apply to all travellers, some people need a visa even for short visits, but citizens of countries including the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, Brazil and Japan are allowed to spend 90 days in the EU in every 180 without needing a visa. You can find the full list of 90-day countries here . This travel allowance is intended for business trips, holidays, family visits and other short stays - it's not for people moving to an EU country, or for those who are working (with the exception of short business trips, conferences and other professional visits). You can find a full explanation of how it works HERE . The rule has been in place for decades for non-EU citizens, but has only applied to Brits since Brexit. Advertisement For most tourists 90 days in every 180 is more than enough, but other visitors use their full allowance - especially second-home owners who often make multiple trips in a year. For these people keeping track of the 90 days is important, and various online calculators or calendars have sprung up to help people keep track. Over-staying the 90 day allowance is an immigration offence and can be punishable by fines or a ban on re-entering the EU or Schengen zone. So how does EES affect this? The Entry & Exit System is essentially an enhanced passport check that has two main purposes; making ID checks more secure by adding biometrics and tightening up on over-stayers. The 90-day rule itself remains unchanged, but EES is likely to make it significantly harder to 'slip through the cracks' and stay for longer than 90 days in every 180. The system does away with the current and rather haphazard manual stamping of passports, and instead introduces a digital system that automatically calculates how long the person has been in the EU, based on their previous entry and exit data. It then calculates whether the person has spent more than 90 days in the Bloc during the previous six months (180 days). Over-stayers will therefore automatically be flagged when they try and leave. The system should - if it works as intended - mean that it's basically impossible to over-stay without being detected. On the other hand it should also eliminate the confusion that is sometimes caused by the current system - for example if people have their passport stamped on arrival but not on exit, or those who end up with illegible stamps, or whose passports are stamped in error. In theory, this should be good news for the vast majority of 90-day visitors who play by the rules and carefully stay within the limits. It should also end the differences between countries that strictly enforce the 90 rule, and those who take a more laissez-faire attitude. What about residents of an EU country? Non-EU citizens who live in an EU or Schengen zone country with a residency permit are not required to use EES (since they are not bound by the 90-day rule and can stay for as long as their residency permit is valid). Likewise, anyone in an EU country on a long-stay visa - eg a visitor visa, student visa or working visa - is not required to use EES. Advertisement Residents and visa holders instead pass through the manned passport booth, showing their passport and visa/residency permit. However residents are still, in theory, bound by the 90-day rule when visiting another part of the EU. For example an American resident in France could only visit Italy for 90 days out of every 180. Likewise a Brit living in Sweden would be limited to 90 days in every 180 for holidays in other EU countries. Exactly how this will be enforced, however, is not clear, since residents are not required to use EES. Advertisement In truth, this rule has always been more theoretical anyway, since travel within the EU and Schengen zone is largely paperwork free with minimal formalities at internal borders. EES is used only at the EU's external borders - for example the UK-France border or a flight from Canada to Spain - so it would not affect travel within the Bloc. An EU resident arriving into the Schengen zone via a different country - for example a British resident of France travelling from the UK to Spain - would show their French residency permit at the Spanish border. Remember, this article is only about EES. The EU's other big travel change - ETIAS - also affects the 90-day rule. You can find a full explanation of both EES and ETIAS here , plus our Frequently Asked Questions section here .

What next for US, China after talks end with no trade deal? – DW – 07/30/2025
What next for US, China after talks end with no trade deal? – DW – 07/30/2025

DW

time2 hours ago

  • DW

What next for US, China after talks end with no trade deal? – DW – 07/30/2025

Although no trade agreement has been reached, the US and China did agree to continue working towards extending the 90-day tariff truce, which is due to expire on August 12. Will the two rival superpowers strike a deal? The latest round of trade talks between the United States and China in Stockholm ended on July 29, with no deal in place. The 90-day truce announced in May after talks in Geneva paused an escalating trade war between the world's two largest economies, who had threatened to impose tariffs of over 100% on each other. After the Geneva meetings, US tariffs on Chinese goods were reduced from 145% to 30%, while China's retaliatory tariffs dropped from 125% to 10%. While the two rival powers have signaled that they are open to extending the negotiations beyond the August 12 deadline and avoid tariffs surging to pre-Geneva levels, key differences remain unresolved after the talks in the Swedish capital. This latest round of negotiations "showed no material difference from the previous two" and still reflected "a case of waiting things out in hopes of a shift," Claus Soong, an analyst at the Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS) in Berlin, told DW. Whether the pause will be extended now depends on US President Donald Trump, who is expected to decide after a full briefing. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who led the US delegation in Stockholm, called the meetings "constructive," but he stressed that "nothing is agreed until we speak with President Trump." US officials warned that failure to reach a deal could see tariffs on Chinese goods surge back to triple-digit levels. China confirmed efforts to prolong the 90-day pause on most reciprocal tariffs. The US-China trade dispute as well as the US leader's trade policies with most of his country's partners has caused global uncertainty and impacted economic growth. And while the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said the recent easing of some tariffs has helped raise its global growth forecast to 3%, it warned that higher tariffs would create more uncertainty that could lead to slower economic activity. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Dr. Patricia M. Kim, a fellow at the Brookings Institution's John L. Thornton China Center, told DW that recent weeks have seen both sides look to moderate their rhetoric, "signaling a mutual interest in creating the conditions for a leader-level meeting." While no agreement was announced, both sides seem to have "achieved their immediate objective from this meeting — to extend the trade truce, buying time to work toward a broader deal that Presidents Trump and Xi [Jinping] could endorse when they meet later this year," she added. There have been reports that the two leaders could meet on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea being held from October 30 to November 1. Trump this week denied that he was "seeking a summit," although did not rule out traveling to China to meet with Xi Jinping. The US delegation went into the talks in Stockholm just days after Trump secured a deal with the EU, which many in the bloc say favors the US. The US has also recently signed deals with Japan, the United Kingdom, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines, giving the trade delegation in Stockholm a boost as it renewed talks with China. But after a string of wins, Washington is finding out that striking a favorable deal with China might not be so easy. A core element of the standoff revolves around China's dominance over rare earth materials and US restrictions on AI chip exports. At trade talks in London in June, export controls were formally included in trade discussions, an unprecedented move that blurred the lines between trade and national security. After London, both countries signaled a potential easing of restrictions on rare earth and semiconductor exports. According to MERICS expert Soong, China has the upper hand in this area, as the "chip card" is less effective than rare earths. "China can leverage its control over the global market for rare earth materials and magnets," he said, which are crucial for the world's car, semiconductor and aerospace industries. "Rare earth control is the real pain point," Soong added. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video In February Trump imposed a 20% tariff, claiming China had failed to curb fentanyl precursor exports. While most of the Geneva-era tariffs were later scaled down, the 20% fentanyl-related tariffs remain in place. In what was widely seen as a gesture of goodwill and a bid to de-escalate trade tensions, in late June Beijing added two fentanyl precursors to its list of controlled substances. While that move raised hopes that the related duties might be lifted, Soong cautioned that "the fentanyl-related tariffs appear to serve primarily as a pretext." "Given that their removal would lower the overall tariff rate to just 10% — potentially below the levels applied to Japan and the EU — such a move seems improbable," he said. Soong added that even if the 20% fentanyl tariff is scrapped, "equivalent measures would likely be reintroduced under a different justification." To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video In an interview with Fox Business ahead of the Stockholm talks, Bessent pointed out that China accounts for 30% of global manufacturing exports. "It should not get any larger," Bessent said, adding that China's "is an unsustainable, historically the most imbalanced economy, thus a shift towards a domestic consumption-centered economy is necessary." Dr. Kim said that given Beijing's own recognition of those economic imbalances, US concerns about Chinese overcapacity or the need for consumer-driven growth may be manageable. She highlighted how some of their interests are aligned — namely Chinese purchases of non-strategic US goods, Chinese investment in non-sensitive US sectors, and cooperation on fentanyl. But when the negotiations go beyond trade and enter "the strategic realm, they will get more challenging," Kim said. "It's hard to imagine Beijing agreeing to side with the US against its strategic partners," she said, referring to the Trump administration pressing China on their purchases of Russian and Iranian oil. China, Dr Kim explained, will "certainly have demands" of their own, including pushing the Trump administration to adopt their preferred language and stance on Taiwan, and to commit to exempt export restrictions on high-tech goods. "Such issues that cut against the core strategic interests of both sides will prove more difficult to resolve," Kim said.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store