It revives the return of US President Donald Trump to the White House and his desire to impose Customs Excessive European commodities problems in the Atlantic trade and open a new chapter in a troubled history that has lasted for more than 60 years.
In this report published by the French newspaper “Le Pen”, the writer Emmanuel Beretta returns to the economic battles that formed the relations between Brussels and Washington.
1- Chicken War in 1963
The story of the poultry ignited the world as the United States took advantage of the Second World War to modernize its poultry industry. After the war, the European market was flooded with cheap chicken, and quickly acquired 50% of the market size.
In the face of what was seen as unfair competition, the nascent European economic group, pushed by France and Germany, imposed customs duties in 1962 through joint agricultural policy.
The American response was quickly. In 1963, President Johnson imposed 25% fees on many European products, including Volkswagen trucks, a procedure that is still valid today.
The case took a great diplomatic dimension, to the extent that Senator J. William Volibright – a long predecessor for Donald Trump – threatened to withdraw American forces from NATO.
Counselor Adenaur later captured that this conflict had occupied half of his discussions with Kennedy, equally with the Berlin crisis and the Gulf of pigs. This clearly indicates that the threat of NATO was a blackmail tool for a long time.
2- Banana campaign
The “Banana War”, which allowed the relations through the Atlantic for nearly two decades, is the best example of the basic differences between the European and American trading models.
Everything began in 1993, when Brussels created its joint organization for the Banana CMO market (CMOB), which is a complex system of shares and customs duties that loved former European colonies (African countries, the Caribbean and the Pacific) at the expense of American multinational companies Like Chikita. Washington, defending unrestricted free trade, sees a distinctive discrimination.
The issue took an epic turn on the World Trade Organization, where the United States won the support of Latin American countries in the case in 1997. But Europe resisted, which led to the United States’ revenge of nearly 191 million dollars in 1999.
There was no final agreement in Geneva until December 2009 when the European Union agreed to reduce customs duties from 176 euros to 114 euros per ton. It is a soft surrender that represents a victory for free trade in the European post -colonial model, while revealing Washington’s fiery power in commercial conflicts.
3- Epic of beef processed with hormones
Hormone -treated beef epic is another strong example of the conflict of organizational cultures between Brussels and Washington. Everything began in 1989, when the European Economic Community decided to prohibit the use of 6 growth hormones in the production of cow meat. This decision has actually closed the European market in front of American, Canadian and Australian livestock farmers, which led to an epic battle against the World Trade Organization.
The confrontation took an amazing turn in 1999, when Washington, based on its victory in front of the World Trade Settlement Authority, imposed specific sanctions on European symbolic products, foremost of which is French Rocodor (one of the most famous types of French cheese).
A compromise did not appear until 2011 when Brussels agreed to allow the import of American “clean” hormone -free meat in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. This was evidence that Europe has the ability to stand up to Uncle Sam when it comes to its health standards.
4- Boeing-airbus .. air attack
This was the longest commercial dispute in the history of the World Trade Organization. For 17 years, Europeans and Americans accused each other of illegally supporting their heroes.
A war of attrition took place in its last stage between 2016 and 2021, showing the stubborn logic of escalating commercial sanctions.
The World Trade Organization, which is the rule of this tremendous competition for the first time in favor of the United States in 2016, and approved potential sanctions worth $ 10 billion against European support for Airbus.
Washington seized the opportunity in 2019, and the old continent hit 7.5 billion dollars as targeted customs duties, which affected Airbus and some other consumer products.
Europe responded similarly at the end of 2020, when the World Trade Organization gave the green light to impose 4 billion sanctions on Boeing and American agricultural products.
Finally, the air conflict ended in June 2021, when Joe Biden and Orrsola von der Line signed a 5 -year truce. This truce was not a victory as much as it was a sign of mutual exhaustion, while the appearance of Chinese aviation reinforced the cards in global competition.
5- The dispute over the genetically modified materials
Genetically modified materials emerge differences in concepts between the two banks of the Atlantic when it comes to agriculture. On the one hand, Europe adheres to its traditional agricultural model. On the other hand, the United States of America is at the forefront of biotechnology agriculture. It is a continuous struggle that explains the contradictory visions of modern agriculture.
6- The first tram war
Donald Trump’s arrival to the White House in 2016 was a turning point. Two years later, the customs duties on European steel (25%) and aluminum (10%) in the name of “national security”.
Europe has responded by imposing taxes on Bourbon and Harley Davidzon, and countless other products, especially in the states in which the candidate Trump won the largest number of presidential votes … an escalation that did not end except with the election of Joe Biden, who was satisfied with the suspension of customs duties without canceling them.
Moreover, Donald Trump agreed andJean Claude Juncker In July 2018 the formation of a joint working group to cancel all customs duties on industrial products.
On the other hand, the Europeans agreed to import more liquefied gas and soybeans.
7- The law to reduce inflation is another controversial point
The climate plan, which costs $ 369 billion in the framework of the Law of inflation, raises the concern of Europeans. And behind his green ambitions hides the law of reducing inflation is a pure American protectionist tendency.
Huge benefits for American green industries attract investors who have so far enable Europeans to lead the race in the field of green technologies.
Europe has responded to the “Safia Serial Industry Law” (related to the promotion of green energy) and the possibility of public authorities to respond to American subsidies in order to keep investors in Europe.
At the end of the article, the writer says that these seven major conflicts reveal one constant is the difficulty of reconciling the different economic and societal models on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
It is recognized that the Europeans and Americans are the best allies, but they are different, but these differences – according to the writer – did not weaken the long -term via trade.
Despite these tensions, the European Union and the United States remain distinguished commercial partners, representing together more than 30% of global trade, so we must wait for Donald Trump and his second trade war calmly the old forces, the writer asked.
(Tagstotranslate) Economy (T) (T) United States of America