Listen on * Spotify * Apple Music * Amazon Music Der EU-Handelsausschuss hat für den Zolldeal mit den USA gestimmt, doch das Tauziehen ist noch nicht vorbei: Zwei Abgeordnete kämpfen als Delegation aus Brüssel in Washington um letzte Garantien. Joana Lehner und Jürgen Klöckner sprechen über das Finale und beleuchten zusammen mit einem US-Kollegen, ob Donald Trump den Deal als politischen Sieg im Inland verkaufen kann oder ob die deutsche Industrie weiterhin Milliarden an Zöllen verliert. Im Policy Talk begrüßen die beiden VDA-Präsidentin Hildegard Müller. Sie spricht über das „weinende und lachende Auge“ der Branche, die aktuelle Milliardenbelastung durch US-Zölle und die schwindende Wettbewerbsfähigkeit des Standorts Deutschland. Müller warnt: Wenn Europa wirtschaftlich schwach wird, verliert es im Spiel der Großmächte an Relevanz. In Berlin tobt derweil ein Ökonomen-Streit: Neue Studien vom ifo-Institut und dem IW Köln werfen der Regierung vor, große Teile des bisher eingesetzten Sondervermögens für Haushaltslöcher statt für neue Investitionen zu nutzen. Rasmus Buchsteiner berichtet Off the Record über das anfängliche Kommunikationsdebakel im Finanzministerium und die Frage, warum die versprochenen Bagger in den Kommunen noch immer nicht rollen. „Power & Policy“ zeigt jede Woche, wo und wie die Entscheidungen in der Wirtschaftspolitik fallen. ⁠Jürgen Klöckner⁠ und ⁠Joana Lehner⁠ von POLITICO sprechen mit Top-Entscheidern und liefern Off-the-Record-Einblicke aus der Redaktion und Machtzentren. Präzise Analysen, lange bevor Gesetze beschlossen sind. Der Podcast für alle in Wirtschaft und Politik, die einen Wissensvorsprung brauchen — immer donnerstags. Für Policy-Profis: Abonnieren und die Pro-Newsletter ⁠Industrie & Handel⁠, ⁠Energie & Klima ⁠und ⁠Gesundheit⁠. Jetzt kostenlos testen. Fragen und Feedback gern an ⁠powerandpolicy@politico.eu⁠ POLITICO Deutschland – ein Angebot der Axel Springer Deutschland GmbH Axel-Springer-Straße 65, 10888 Berlin Tel: +49 (30) 2591 0 ⁠information@axelspringer.de⁠ Sitz: Amtsgericht Berlin-Charlottenburg, HRB 196159 B USt-IdNr: DE 214 852 390 Geschäftsführer: Carolin Hulshoff Pol, Mathias Sanchez Luna

BRUSSELS — The European Parliament will hold a committee vote on the EU-U.S. trade deal this week, top lawmakers decided on Tuesday, in a step that will be met with relief in Washington.  Lawmakers from the Parliament’s trade committee will vote on Thursday on legislation to scrap tariffs on U.S. industrial goods — representing the backbone of the EU’s pledge in the trade deal reached at President Donald Trump’s Turnberry golf resort in Scotland last summer. Bernd Lange, chair of the trade committee, said Tuesday’s discussion had been “quite smooth” and had achieved a broad understanding. “Therefore we will go for the vote on Thursday,” he told POLITICO. The decision unblocks a weeks-long deadlock, as EU lawmakers balked at approving a deal that appeared at risk of unraveling. First, the U.S. Supreme Court in February struck down most of the tariffs on which the Turnberry accord was based. Then Trump’s threats to annex Greenland and slap an embargo on Spain further soured sentiment. Lawmakers from Socialists & Democrats, liberals and Greens have pushed for reassurances from Washington before moving to a vote, while the center-right European People’s Party (EPP) is adamant that the deal must be approved quickly to avoid retaliation by Trump and bring stability to businesses. “We have a big majority today,” said EPP negotiator Željana Zovko.  A date for a final plenary vote will be determined on Wednesday, said Lange, adding that this could take place in March or April. Only then would the European Parliament enter negotiations with EU capitals and the European Commission on a compromise that would finally implement the deal.  Lange, a veteran German Social Democrat who is also the lead lawmaker on the file, proposed new amendments to the legislation that won the backing of the EPP. He has said that his changes mainly included stronger language on the EU’s own protections in case Washington fails to keep its side of the deal. “Sunrise clause, and sunset, and suspension, and so on, some fine-tuning,” Lange had told POLITICO on Monday.  Lange will travel to Washington after the vote on Thursday, and is expected to meet Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Friday, along with a delegation of EU lawmakers.

Listen on * Spotify * Apple Music * Amazon Music Die Bundesregierung lässt Donald Trump abblitzen: Mehrfach erteilte sie einer deutschen Beteiligung an einer Marine-Begleitung von Schiffen in der Straße von Hormus eine klare Absage. Doch die Geschichte mahnt zur Vorsicht: Gordon Repinski analysiert, warum Friedrich Merz Gefahr läuft, in eine „Schröder-Fischer-Falle“ wie im Jahr 2003 zu tappen. Damals wurde ein öffentliches „Nein“ zur Irak-Invasion hinter den Kulissen durch operative Unterstützung aufgeweicht. Droht nun erneut die Beteiligung durch die Hintertür? Und wie kann sich Merz aus dieser Falle befreien? Im 200-Sekunden-Interview spricht der außenpolitische Sprecher der SPD, Adis Ahmetovic, über Trumps strategielose und sinnlose Forderungen. Er erklärt, warum Deutschland trotz der bestehenden Mission im Roten Meer eine Ausweitung auf den Iran-Konflikt ablehnt und wie die Bundesrepublik dennoch ihre diplomatische Handlungsfähigkeit bewahren kann. Während Merz in Berlin auf Distanz zu Washington geht, brodelt es in der EVP: Berichte über eine geheime Zusammenarbeit von EVP-Mitarbeitern mit rechten Fraktionen im EU-Parlament bringen Merz und Markus Söder unter Zugzwang. Hans von der Burchard ordnet ein, wie dieser Skandal das Treffen mit EU-Parlamentspräsidentin Roberta Metsola überschattet und warum ein wackelnder EU-US-Handelsdeal das nächste große Risiko für den Kanzler darstellt. Das Berlin Playbook als Podcast gibt es jeden Morgen ab 5 Uhr. Gordon Repinski und das POLITICO-Team liefern Politik zum Hören – kompakt, international, hintergründig. Für alle Hauptstadt-Profis: Der Berlin Playbook-Newsletter bietet jeden Morgen die wichtigsten Themen und Einordnungen. ⁠Jetzt kostenlos abonnieren.⁠ Mehr von Host und POLITICO Executive Editor Gordon Repinski: Instagram: ⁠@gordon.repinski⁠ | X: ⁠@GordonRepinski⁠. POLITICO Deutschland – ein Angebot der Axel Springer Deutschland GmbH Axel-Springer-Straße 65, 10888 Berlin Tel: +49 (30) 2591 0 ⁠information@axelspringer.de⁠ Sitz: Amtsgericht Berlin-Charlottenburg, HRB 196159 B USt-IdNr: DE 214 852 390 Geschäftsführer: Carolin Hulshoff Pol, Mathias Sanchez Luna

STRASBOURG — European and American officials are scrambling to avoid a return to their transatlantic trade war, amid increasing frustration in Washington over the EU’s failure to implement the transatlantic trade deal they agreed last summer. A trio of senior European lawmakers will travel to Washington next week, hoping to meet U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who accuses the EU of implementing “zero percent” of the trade accord reached at President Donald Trump’s Turnberry golf resort in Scotland last July 27. The mission to the U.S. comes amid of flurry of diplomatic contacts between EU and U.S. officials ahead of a high-stakes vote by European lawmakers expected on March 26 that will determine whether Brussels can implement last year’s accord. That vote is at risk of being delayed, yet again, after a series of previous hold ups. U.S. patience is wearing thin, raising the prospect that the tariff conflict could flare up again. “The EU has done approximately zero percent of what they were supposed to do for their trade deal with us. We quickly after the Turnberry deal came into compliance with that deal,” Greer said during a press call on Wednesday.  “The European Union has had their legislation for their tariffs pending for many, many, many, many months,” he added.  Top EU parliamentary negotiators will meet on March 17 to decide whether to push back their vote again. The Turnberry agreement is widely seen in Europe as a one-sided pact. In it, the EU accepted a 15 percent U.S. tariff on most exports, while itself pledging to scrap all tariffs on U.S. industrial goods. Many EU lawmakers fear that Trump could yet renege on the deal to make more tariff threats, as he has done over Greenland and Spain.  In the Parliament, the center-right European People’s Party — the political family of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz — wants to see the deal approved to avoid retaliation by Trump and bring stability to businesses.  The Socialists & Democrats, liberals and Greens have voted against moving forward, however, after balking at the U.S. president’s latest tariff menaces against Spain, his strikes on Iran and his threats to stage a “friendly takeover” of Cuba. CRACKS IN TRUST Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has sought to reassure the Europeans that the U.S. will stick by the deal. Yet skepticism persists. “How can we get clarity with Trump [who] doesn’t respect the deals? I think that, for now, what we would need is some public statement on the willingness to respect the deal,” Brando Benifei, an Italian Socialist who is the Parliament’s point person for relations with the U.S., said on Tuesday.  Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has sought to reassure the Europeans that the U.S. will stick by the deal. | Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images Benifei will be one of the three MEPs traveling to meet Greer. The others are Bernd Lange, the German Social Democrat who chairs the European Parliament’s trade committee, and Polish center-right lawmaker Michał Szczerba, who sits on the foreign and security committees. They hope to meet Greer on March 20, but the EU lawmakers could already have delayed the vote by then. “I hope that we can find some common ground,” Lange said. Karin Karlsbro, a Swedish liberal who is skeptical on the trade pact, is also expected to meet with representatives of the U.S. mission to the EU, her office said. And Željana Zovko, the top negotiator on the file from the EPP, the biggest grouping in Parliament, will meet with U.S. Ambassador Andrew Puzder on Monday, she told POLITICO. Despite the worries from the U.S. side, Anna Cavazzini, the lead lawmaker on the file in the Greens group who is spearheading opposition to the deal, said she had not been contacted by the Americans. UNRELIABLE PARTNER Despite Bessent’s pledge on the Turnberry pact, the EU remains wary over what Trump will do next. The U.S. has, only this week, launched new investigations into unfair trade practices that could trigger more tariffs against the EU. That has redoubled concerns in Brussels that Trump plans to plow on with his aggressive trade agenda against Europe, undeterred by a Supreme Court ruling last month that substantially overturned his original tariff agenda. On top of the latest investigations, people close to the file say the White House will not shy away from imposing tariffs on national security grounds, such as Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. Washington’s double-sided approach is not lost on European lawmakers.  “‘We’ll stick to the deal.’ And less than 24 hours later, they are already threatening us with new tariffs. It is impossible to work with the Trump administration like this,” the Socialist group’s vice president for trade policy, Kathleen Van Brempt, said in a post on X Thursday.  The EPP’s top trade lawmaker, Jörgen Warborn, last week pitched a “sunrise clause,” meaning the deal would only finally kick in if Washington upheld its side of the bargain. “That would give clarity because what the sunrise clause is doing, it’s making sure that the deal doesn’t kick in before it is confirmed that all the elements of the deal are upheld,” Warborn told POLITICO on Tuesday. Željana Zovko, the top negotiator on the file from the EPP, the biggest grouping in Parliament, will meet with U.S. Ambassador Andrew Puzder on Monday, she told POLITICO. | Martin Bertrand/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images Benifei said the sunrise clause could enable his group to support the pact. Still, he explained, this would require provisions allowing the Commission not to implement the EU-U.S. agreement until Washington stops threatening the EU’s digital rules, and until the U.S. lowers tariffs on EU steel derivatives. “We are not there,” he said, expressing skepticism that the EPP would be willing to place such tough demands on the Commission. “They [EPP lawmakers] are a bit worried about the situation that is not moving,” he said. “I need to see what they are actually ready to do, because to be frank, my impression is that they are a bit in the mood [of saying] …‘Just let’s not make Trump angry.’” Carlo Martuscelli contributed to this report.

BRUSSELS — The EU will respond “firmly and proportionately” to any breach of its trade deal with the U.S. reached last year, European Commission spokesperson Olof Gill said Thursday. Gill was responding to probes into unfair trade practices launched by the U.S. overnight against the EU and other countries. The broad-spectrum investigations could result in the imposition of new tariffs, raising concerns in Brussels that this would breach the terms of the deal struck at President Donald Trump’s Turnberry golf resort in Scotland. “We have not received any indication that the U.S. administration intends to deviate from those commitments,” Gill told a press conference. He added that the Commission would reach out to its U.S. counterparts to clarify how the investigations would affect the Turnberry deal. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Wednesday that his department was looking into whether countries’ policies are fueling excess manufacturing capacity — producing far more goods than demand supports — which officials say can flood global markets and squeeze U.S. manufacturers. The so-called Section 301 probes come after the U.S. Supreme Court last month struck down Trump’s original wide-ranging tariffs. The White House subsequently imposed blanket 10 percent tariffs in the interim as it works to enact new duties. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent this week gave private assurances to EU trade chief Maroš Šefčovič that the U.S. intends to stick to the transatlantic trade deal, which sets a tariff ceiling of no higher than 15 percent on most EU exports.

STRASBOURG — A top Trump administration official has reassured Brussels that Washington remains committed to its trade deal with the European Union, amid mounting fears in Europe and the U.S. that the agreement could unravel. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told the EU’s trade chief Maroš Šefčovič in a call Monday evening that the United States intends to stick to the deal, three people familiar with the conversation told POLITICO. Bessent and Šefčovič “regularly discuss a range of trade-related issues. The ambition to fulfill the commitments set out in the joint statement was again reiterated on both the EU and U.S. sides,” a member of Šefčovič’s cabinet told POLITICO. The trade commissioner also spoke with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer this week, they added.  The outreach came as the European Commission scrambles to convince skeptical lawmakers in the European Parliament to back legislation implementing the EU’s side of the pact struck at the U.S. president’s Turnberry golf resort in Scotland last summer. The Parliament has been slow-waking its deliberations on the agreement since the start of the year. Following a Supreme Court decision in late January that overturned much of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff agenda, lawmakers have been pushing for guarantees from the Trump administration that European exports would not face higher tariffs than the 15 percent ceiling set out in the EU-U.S. trade deal. Center-right and right-wing lawmakers want to fast-track the deal and approve it as soon as possible — but the Social Democrats, liberals and Greens have voted against moving forward, citing the U.S. president’s latest attacks against Spain, strikes on Iran and threats to stage a “friendly takeover” of Cuba. With the Parliament expected to vote on the deal next week, Šefčovič on Tuesday launched a last-ditch attempt in Strasbourg to convince lawmakers to throw their weight behind the pact, briefing top EU lawmakers on his talks with the Trump administration. After the trade commissioner’s briefing, Bernd Lange, who hails from the S&D and helms the Parliament’s trade committee, appeared relatively reassured. Lange said that the lead lawmakers on transatlantic relations would on March 17 assess whether to move ahead to a committee vote on March 19. This would then pave the way for a plenary vote on March 26. The center-right European People’s Party also sought to convince the centrist majority in the Parliament to go ahead with the vote by proposing a “sunrise clause,” which would ensure that preconditions must be respected by the Trump administration before the trade deal can kick in.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war is putting Volkswagen’s globalization strategy — and profits — at risk. The danger was highlighted Tuesday when the German carmaker released its 2025 results, showing a sharp 53.5 percent drop in operating profit to €8.9 billion. CEO Oliver Blume blamed the firm’s worst result in a decade on the Trump tariffs, stiff competition in China, and a strategy reversal at luxury subsidiary Porsche. VW spent decades building a global supply chain, but the new era unleashed by Trump’s trade wars and the rapid decline of the carmaker’s Chinese market are calling that strategy into question. One example of how the old approach no longer works is the carmaker’s extensive production in Mexico, where costs are lower and a free trade agreement gave it access to the United States. Trump’s 27.5 percent tariffs on all goods from Mexico have now blocked that pipeline. “We have a strong localized footprint in Mexico. It’s no longer worthwhile to export them from Mexico into the U.S.,” Blume said in a call with media. Another setback is Porsche. The luxury cars are all made in Europe, exposing them to the full force of U.S. tarrifs. Volkswagen now expects revenue for this year to stay flat or grow by a mere 3 percent. “We are operating in a fundamentally different environment,” Blume said. The stagnating growth means Germany’s flagship automaker will continue to cut costs and jobs, including the politically fraught task of shuttering factories at home. The carmaker also has to battle to protect its key European market from Chinese encroachment. With the U.S. effectively blocking Chinese cars thanks to steep tariffs and a ban on connected cars, Beijing’s carmakers are on the hunt for new customers — and have set their sights on Europe. “We will need to do more because our costs are still too high in Europe, and we have to pitch ourselves against our competitors in Europe,” Blume said, adding that includes Chinese brands “because it’s a big business potential here for the Chinese in Europe so we have to fight back.” Volkswagen and its German peers have strong brand loyalty in their home market, but Blume warned it’s only a matter of time before Chinese automakers begin making inroads. It’s a war Volkswagen is already fighting in China, which was once its biggest market and revenue stream. However, the shift to electric vehicles and Chinese consumer preferences for domestic brands has chipped away at Volkswagen’s standing. VW is launching new EVs in China this year as it looks to regain its place as the country’s top automaker. But losing its place at the top of the podium in China has meant considerably less revenue is making its way back to Germany and helping to fund factories that have higher energy and worker costs. In 2024 Volkswagen announced cost-cutting measures that led to 35,000 lost jobs and the closure of German factories for the first time in its history. That number will now balloon to 50,000 jobs in Germany by 2030, with the cuts affecting all of its brands including Audi and Porsche. The EU’s rearmament push offers a potential silver lining, though, as arms-makers look to take advantage of slack demand in the auto industry combined with the sector’s mastery of mass production. “No solution has been taken,” Blume said in reference to VW’s Osnabrück factory, which could be shuttered. “We’re currently in talks with defense companies throughout the course of the year.”

Listen on * Spotify * Apple Music * Amazon Music Wirtschaftswende auf dem Prüfstand: Kanzler Friedrich Merz trifft heute auf der Internationalen Handwerksmesse in München eine Art „Verbandsquartett“. Er ist zum Gespräch mit den Spitzen der Verbände aus Industrie, Arbeitgebern, Handel und Gewerbe sowie dem Handwerk verabredet. Rasmus Buchsteiner analysiert das Standing des Kanzlers bei den Verbandschefs und die harten Erwartungen der Industrie, während der Frust über aufgeschobene Reformen im Mittelstand wächst. Im 200-Sekunden-Interview dazu: Handwerkspräsident Jörg Dittrich über „brennende Hütten“ in den Betrieben und seine klaren Forderungen an den Kanzler vor dem heutigen Spitzengespräch. „Mehr Warken wagen“: Im Bundestag soll heute die angepasste Krankenhausreform das Parlament passieren. Gesundheitsministerin Nina Warken verbucht einen Etappensieg, allerdings nicht ohne Preis: Die Länder haben dem Bund auf den letzten Metern mehr Mitspracherecht und Zeit abgerungen. Unser POLITICO-Gesundheitsexperte Louis Westendarp ordnet ein, ob die Reform wirklich wirken kann oder nur die nächste Milliarden-Finanzlücke im System kaschiert. Insights zur Gesundheitspolitik gibt es von uns bei POLITICO bald auch zu lesen. Nächste Woche starten wir mit unserem PRO-Newsletter „Gesundheit“ – ⁠hier zum kostenlosen Probeabo anmelden⁠. KI-Party im Regierungsviertel: Während in München über die schwächelnde Wirtschaft gesprochen wird, feiert Berlin die Eröffnung eines neuen AI Centers. Mittendrin zwischen Tech-Milliarden und Techno-Beats: Digitalminister Karsten Wildberger und Forschungsministerin Dorothee Bär. Unsere neuen Formate „Inside AfD“ gibt es hier und „Power & Policy“ hier. Das Berlin Playbook als Podcast gibt es jeden Morgen ab 5 Uhr. Gordon Repinski und das POLITICO-Team liefern Politik zum Hören – kompakt, international, hintergründig. Für alle Hauptstadt-Profis: Der Berlin Playbook-Newsletter bietet jeden Morgen die wichtigsten Themen und Einordnungen. ⁠Jetzt kostenlos abonnieren.⁠ Mehr von Host und POLITICO Executive Editor Gordon Repinski: Instagram: ⁠@gordon.repinski⁠ | X: ⁠@GordonRepinski⁠. POLITICO Deutschland – ein Angebot der Axel Springer Deutschland GmbH Axel-Springer-Straße 65, 10888 Berlin Tel: +49 (30) 2591 0 ⁠information@axelspringer.de⁠ Sitz: Amtsgericht Berlin-Charlottenburg, HRB 196159 B USt-IdNr: DE 214 852 390 Geschäftsführer: Carolin Hulshoff Pol, Mathias Sanchez Luna **(Anzeige) Eine Nachricht der PKV: Wir sind die Fair-zu-Jugendlichen-Versicherung. Warum? Weil wir die wachsende Zahl älterer Menschen versorgen können, ohne die Jüngeren damit zu belasten. Dafür bilden wir von Versicherungsbeginn an Rücklagen, die stetig Zinsen einbringen. Für unsere Versicherten haben wir so bereits über 350 Milliarden Euro zurückgelegt, um ihre mit dem Alter steigenden Behandlungskosten abzusichern. Mehr auf pkv.de**

BRUSSELS — The European Parliament’s trade lawmakers decided on Wednesday to keep the EU-U.S. trade deal frozen amidst volatile transatlantic relations.  A majority of political groups voted not to move ahead with legislation to implement the EU’s side of the bargain struck at President Donald Trump’s Turnberry golf resort in Scotland last summer. “We want to have clarity that they are sticking to the deal as well,” said Bernd Lange, chair of the Parliament’s International Trade Committee. The lead negotiators will meet again on March 17 and reassess whether to schedule a committee vote that same week, according to three officials. Once the committee green-lights the trade agreement, it could be ratified in a plenary session on March 25-26.  The latest postponement follows Trump’s threat on Tuesday to impose a trade embargo on Spain for refusing to allow U.S. warplanes stationed there to launch air strikes on Iran. “We’re going to cut off all trade with Spain,” Trump said during a sit-down with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office. “We don’t want anything to do with Spain.” Centre-right and right-wing lawmakers had wanted to fast-track the deal and approve it in a plenary vote next week. That proposal failed to win enough support as the Social Democrats, liberals, and Greens voted against moving forward. “Regrettably, the U.S. files have been postponed,” said Jörgen Warborn, the lead trade lawmaker of the center-right European People’s Party. “It is a shame that an anti-Trump narrative is being pushed more strongly than a pro-European one, risking a transatlantic trade war. Citizens need clarity and predictability.”

PARIS — The European Union should stop raging at Donald Trump and learn its lessons from the U.S. president’s saber-rattling on tariffs, France’s trade minister told POLITICO. “The European Union, the European countries, should not get angry at America’s positions, but should try to better understand America’s logic — which, by the way, began well before Donald Trump,” Nicolas Forissier said in an interview on Thursday.  Forissier, who said riding a Harley-Davidson motorbike down the iconic Chicago-to-California Route 66 highway had given him a feel for American culture, argued Trump’s approach should motivate the EU to fix its own shortcomings.  The U.S. president’s erratic trade policy, along with a glut of Chinese exports, has triggered deeper reflection within the 27-nation bloc about how to regain industrial competitiveness — including by diversifying trade partners, cutting red tape for businesses, and rewriting public procurement rules to include a “Made in Europe” preference.  “It’s also a way of asking us to take responsibility, to step out of our comfort zone. Before criticizing or getting angry at each other, we need to look at what we haven’t done well and where we can improve,” the 65-year-old minister added. The U.S. Supreme Court last week struck down the “reciprocal tariffs” that had underpinned the trade deal Trump struck with the EU at his Turnberry golf resort in Scotland last July. Despite the ruling, the European Commission wants to finalize ratification of the deal, which is now stuck in the European Parliament. Forissier convened G7 trade ministers for a virtual call on Monday, at which U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer made it clear that Washington was aiming to reinstate the tariffs that were struck down via other legal tools. Greer has also said that the U.S. wants to stick to the terms of deals it has already struck. “The European Parliament’s wait-and-see approach and suspension of the vote is quite logical,” Forissier said. “It’s now up to the Americans to clarify things, to calm things down. I don’t think it’s in the United States’ interest to take a stance of high tariffs, toughening measures.” HOLDING THE (15 PERCENT) LINE Forissier, a veteran who hails from the conservative Les Républicains party, said the EU should focus on strengthening its own foundations, also by building a real capital markets union. “That may also enable us to provide concrete answers to the questions raised by Mario Draghi and Enrico Letta. Because we know full well that the European Union really needs to make a huge investment effort, particularly in innovation,” Forissier said, referring to landmark strategy recommendations from the two former Italian PMs.  “Basically, the Americans are doing us a favor by forcing us to take action, make decisions, and step outside our comfort zones or areas of uncertainty that suited us just fine.” Forissier’s comments were a departure from the usually more hawkish French position toward Washington. As recently as January, President Emmanuel Macron called for the EU to use its strongest trade weapon in response to Trump’s threats to annex Greenland.  France has been the fiercest supporter of making the EU economically less dependent on the rest of the world, with Macron for years pushing for more public investment in the EU economy and for more trade defense and “Made in Europe” measures to ensure European firms can compete with their Asian and U.S. rivals.  The trade minister stressed that the deal with Washington — which foresees an “all-inclusive” tariff of 15 percent on most EU exports and exempts aircraft and pharmaceuticals — should remain the baseline of the EU’s relationship to Washington.  He urged, however, that Brussels keep negotiating further exemptions — something the U.S. has so far been reluctant to do given the EU still hasn’t completed its side of the bargain on the deal struck last July at Trump’s Turnberry golf resort in Scotland. Legislation to scrap duties on imports of U.S. industrial goods remains stuck in the European Parliament. “I would like us not simply to revert to the Turnberry agreement. We must also continue the process, ensure that the conversation is constructive, and move forward,” he said.  “Frankly, is it in the interest of American consumers to have a 15 percent tariff on French spirits?”