Swedish Trade Minister Condemns US Tariffs
(MENAFN) Sweden’s Minister for Foreign Trade, Benjamin Dousa, on Monday strongly denounced the United States' recent decision to implement fresh tariffs on European Union goods.
He cautioned that this development might ignite a significant trade conflict between the two economic blocs.
Before attending an urgent gathering of EU trade ministers in Brussels, Dousa voiced his concern over Washington's intention to apply a 30% levy on European products starting August 1. He labeled the action as “unfortunate, unacceptable and surprising.”
“The US has escalated the situation on several levels now, and we cannot rule out that they will drag us into a trade war,” Dousa told a national Swedish broadcaster.
According to Dousa, the EU had been aiming to settle the dispute through diplomatic dialogue. He noted that negotiations with the United States were nearing a tentative resolution before the tariff announcement.
He stated: “30% is obviously not something that we from Europe can accept. We have always tried to get a negotiated solution that we can all live with, but then the White House still chooses this path and I think that is unfortunate.”
Dousa also expressed frustration over the unpredictability of U.S. decision-making.
“There are new messages from the White House every hour and every other day, so it's hard to speculate on exactly what they're thinking. But we have to prepare for the worst,” he remarked.
He underscored that the European Union has not yet taken any retaliatory steps and has so far responded “according to all the rules of the art.”
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
