Of Athena Papakosta

One critical week begins for the European Union, which remain only two days to close the agreement with Washington and to prevent US President Donald Trump from making a threat of imposing a 50% duty on all imports in the United States.

According to US Finance Minister Scott Bessed last Friday, negotiations – which continued throughout the weekend – focus on 15 to 18 agreements with significant, for Washington, commercial partners. However, at the same time, Donald Trump threatens with new duties to even 70%.

The Clock for Brussels on July 9 is already counting down and the European Commission does not know how the President of the United States will eventually face the “27” block and consequently their transatlantic trade relationship worth 1.6 trillion. euro.

Within the European Union there are different voices in terms of how Brussels should react. On the one hand there are those, such as German Chancellor Friedrich Mertz, who say that it would be good for the EU to avoid a trade war at all costs, and on the other, such as French President Emmanuel Macron, who insist on how the road is not right.

Already last week, Maros Sefkovic received an ultimatum to impose a 17% duty on agricultural exports during his United States’ meetings with US officials of Trump, in which Besed also participated.

Currently the United States has locked two agreements – one with the United Kingdom and one with Vietnam, and it remains unknown whether the union of “27” is able to secure an agreement, at a time when duties of 10% in steel, aluminum and cars are already in place.

According to the European edition of Politico, the EU is weighing a preliminary trade agreement with a 10% basic duty on most of its exports, at a time when European Commission President Ursula von der Laien said last Thursday that “we want a solution, but we want a solution, but at the same time.”

And the 90 -day Trump deadline for its reciprocal duties expires in two 24 hours with Washington allegedly ready to launch its trade attack, returning to last April’s narrative and the “day of liberation” of the United States, and the United States of the United States.