trade

Donald Trump is conditioning the reduction of tariffs on European goods on the expansion of US energy imports into Europe. The European Union, meanwhile, is coming up with proposals to introduce reciprocal zero tariffs, for example on industrial products or cars. Martin Vokálek, executive director of the EUROPEUM Institute, commented on the situation for ČT24.

The European Union is showing its willingness to negotiate with the United States on the issue of tariffs, but at the same time it is preparing its own defence scenarios. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU plans to strengthen the single market in response to possible US tariffs. Ministers of the member states meet in Luxembourg. Filip Křenek, analyst at EUROPEUM Institute, commented for Czech Radio Plus.

European carmakers have been investing in the US for decades and therefore consider the introduction of tariffs a low blow. Donald Trump's decision to impose 25% tariffs on cars made outside the US has also been criticised by the European car industry association ACEA. According to the manufacturers, the new measure will also indirectly affect the Czech company Skoda and its suppliers. How big a hit this will be depends on the specific list of products to which the duties will apply - which is not yet known. However, the Ministry of Industry and Trade reassures that the impact on the Czech Republic should be rather moderate. Filip Křenek, an analyst at the EUROPEUM Institute, commented on the situation for CNN Prima News.

I believe that the negotiations will resume, but it is up to President Trump in particular to decide what attitude he will take towards President Zelensky. What we have seen in the Oval Office is indeed a dagger in the back of a country that has long resisted Russian aggression. Martin Vokálek, executive director of the EUROPEUM Institute, commented for CNN Prima News.

We need an overall change of approach to the adoption of legislation. After all, its purpose is supposed to be to unify 27 national regulations into a universal set of rules, but due to the flexibility left to the Member States, gold plating and differences in national implementations, and many other reasons, the complexity of legislation is increasing. Viktor Daněk, deputy director of the EUROPEUM Institute, commented for Hospodářské noviny.

If Donald Trump wins the upcoming U.S. presidential election, trade relations between the European Union and the United States could face serious challenges next year. Trump has promised to impose a universal ten percent tariff on all goods imported into the American market. Although his rhetoric is primarily aimed at China, such a tariff would also significantly impact European manufacturers. Is the EU preparing for the possibility that Trump could become president again and implement this measure? How would European companies be affected if the next U.S. president were Democrat Kamala Harris? Kateřina Davidová, a senior researcher at EUROPEUM Institute, comments on this topic for e15.

Martin Vokálek, executive director of the Europeum Institute for European Policy, commented for E15 on the tense situation between the European Union and the UK in the area of economy and trade. In particular, the problematic region of Northern Ireland and compliance with the so-called Good Friday Agreement. The emergence of new tariff barriers between Britain and the European bloc is thus clearly a real threat.

Our intern Jana Záhořová wrote a report on this years second debate about the EU's relations with Japan and its progress.

We invite you to another debate in the Café Evropa format on EU-China relations - what will the new investment agreement bring? The debate is organized by the European Commission in the Czech Republic and the EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy in cooperation with Eurocentrum Prague. The media partner of the debate is Deník.cz. The debate will take place online on February 24 on our Facebook.

In his blog post, Tom Baker discusses the EU's trade agenda in 2021 and what development can we expect this year.

During November 2019, EUROPEUM co-organized the second Transatlantic Policy Forum along with CEPA, a leading US think-tank. The private roundtable provided a unique opportunity for candid and open discussion about the issues that are at the heart of transatlantic cooperation. Our research fellow Martin Michelot concluded a debrief and analysis of these debates.

On December 3rd, 2019, European Police Centre together with EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy and Think Visegrad - V4 Think-Tank Platform organised a roundtable titled “Tackling global protectionism - European views and responses.”