The EU must wait for the first steps of the new US administration in trade policy and then take action. State Secretary of the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic Vladimír Šimoňák stated on Thursday in Brussels after the meeting of the EU Council for Foreign Affairs, segment trade.
Šimoňák reminded that The EU has established business processes with several partners in the world, for example with the Mercosur group, which have been going on for a long time, are complex and “can’t please everyone” and where Slovakia has certain concerns in the area of the agricultural sector. Then there are trade relations with the countries of Asia, but the greatest media attention will be focused on China and also on the United States, where the new administration is being assembled by Donald Trump.
When asked whether the EU is already preparing a strategy for Trump’s policy in advance, who does not hide that he wants to introduce tariffs on imports to the USA, Šimoňák said that The European Commission is planning something, but first you have to wait for what the American administration will come up with and not act excessively or hastily.
“The United States is not only an important trading partner, but they are also an ally and a strategic partner, there is a wide complex of relationships,” he pointed out. He confirmed that in the search for future answers in the case of new American tariffs, EU member countries should be united. “I have not noticed anyone who sees any advantage in the individual progress of the member states. It is quite certain that a country like Slovakia does not see any such advantage.” bequeathed
He reminded that Trump was already the American president and during this period trade between the US and the EU grew and the United States became the most important export market for Europe, while Trump’s rhetoric was similar to his today.
He confirmed that there was a dispute about steel and aluminum at the time, and there would be more such elements, which, however, illustrates the variety of mutual relations. He expressed the hope that the EU and the new American administration will be able to solve these relations comprehensively “in the spirit of partnership, alliance and with a constructive result”. According to him, this should also apply to the European automotive sector, which Trump often focused on before the election, and if he fulfilled his threats, Slovakia would also feel it.
“Each member state has sectors to which it is sensitive. The automotive industry is important for Slovakia, but that does not mean that there is an exaggerated reason for fear and premature reactions. We will wait and hope that, as is the way between allies, we will first negotiate at all possible levels and only then will some measures be taken. We hope that some fundamental steps that could threaten European interests, they will not be accepted without communication with us“, he explained.
There are also signs that Trump may force the EU to toughen its stance on China, However, Šimoňák said that this was not discussed at the Council of Ministers, because it is first necessary to wait to see what policy America will adopt towards China. However, it is certain that future American-Chinese relations will also have an impact on Europe, which was also clear in the first Trump administration.
