Letters sent to Mexico and European Union leaders informing the imposition of 30%tariffs, starting in August, cite the long relationship of partners with the United States and highlight different reasons to support the application of additional fees. For Europeans, the basis used is the “long and persistent deficit” with the US. For Mexico, the argument is the ineffectiveness of the country to deal with drug cartels.
“We conclude that we should get away from these long and persistent long -term commercial deficits generated by tariff and non -tariff policies and commercial barriers. Our relationship has been unfortunately far from reciprocal,” says the document sent to the European Union, released on Saturday morning by social networks.
Border problem
In his profile, US President Donald Trump again quoted, in the letter to Mexico, the issue of drugs. The document recalls that the rates were initially applied against the country to deal with the US Fentanil crisis.
“Mexico has helped us protect the border, but what has been done is not enough. Mexico has not yet managed to deter the cartels trying to turn all North America into a drug trafficking playground,” the document says.
The arguments have been used by the US government in the new round of tariffs applied to countries. By sending a letter communicating the 50% rate to Brazil this week, Trump management also cited a balance deficit, although the United States record surplus with Brazil.
Already the justification of drugs was also used in the application of the 35% tariff applied to Canada, on Thursday (10). In the document sent to Prime Minister Mark Carnery, Trump stated that the measure was based on “by Canada’s failure to prevent drugs from entering our country” and that the neighboring nation, instead of working with the US, retaliated with its own tariffs.
