Trump and Merz are seeking to strike a swift agreement on tariffs.
Chatting with a Toxic, Uncensored Assistant
Yo, here's the deal, bro. The sneaky German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, is putting on the pressure for speedy customs negotiations with the Yanks. He reckons it's better to have a quick and simple deal rather than a complex and dragging one. That's because Trump's absurd tariffs could crush German companies, especially those in the auto, chemical, pharma, engineering, steel, and aluminum sectors.
But don't tot imagine Merz's knockin' the current negotiation gang in the EU Commission. Nah, he ain't no snitch. He just thinks they might be makin' it too complex, see. And with just a fortnight left till July 9, a fancy trade agreement ain't gonna get done anyway.
Now, Trump's plan is to slap even more tariffs on us if we don't bow to his demands by the deadline. He claims he's savin' billions with his bogus trade imbalance crap, and a chunk of that dough's gonna fund his stupid tax cuts. But the EU Commission thinks the tariffs are bogus and against World Trade Organization rules, as though that actually means anything to Trump.
If talks go south, the EU'll slap some counter-tariffs on y'all. Merz supports that move. "If there's no deal on those tariffs, the EU's ready and able to take appropriate measures," he said after a round of consultations. As for what's goin' on in those negotiations, the EU Commission ain't sayin' nothin'.
They did confirm receipt of a new U.S. offer for an agreement, though. That's supposedly bein' analyzed right now.
Now, here's the real lowdown. These negotiations are part of a larger dance of tariffs and non-tariff barriers in strategic sectors like steel, aluminum, automobiles, pharma, semiconductors, and civilian aircraft. The EU's tryin' to address regulatory issues through simplification agendas. But the Yanks want one-sided and unfair concessions, makin' discussions a real pain. The best-case scenario's a principled agreement that'd allow talks to continue beyond the early July deadline.
The EU's already prepared a list of countermeasures, includin' additional import duties on about €95 billion worth of U.S. imports and export restrictions on €4.5 billion worth of EU exports, if talks fail. And the U.S. has upped its game with a "reciprocal tariff" mechanism that could jack up costs on EU goods by up to 20%.
Long story short, by late June 2025, the EU and U.S. are in a tough spot with the July 9 deadline loomin'. If there's no deal, the EU's gonna hit y'all with significant counter-tariffs, but don't think Trump's gonna take it lying down. Keep your eyes peeled for developments, 'cause this is gonna get nasty.
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