00:00U.S. President Donald Trump is imposing a new wave of tariffs on trading partners, including a 10% duty
00:07on the EU.
00:08The European Commission has said these tariffs are in line with the EU-U.S. trade deal struck last year.
00:14The U.S. administration has also reacted to the EU's 890 million euro fine on Google yesterday with trade representative
00:21Jameson Greer,
00:23saying that the EU is driving massive uncertainty for U.S. exporters and jeopardizing the EU-U.S. trade deal
00:31struck a year ago.
00:32Well, Bernd Lange is the European Parliament's top lawmaker on trade and was the lead negotiator on the EU-U
00:40.S. trade pact.
00:41He's been in Washington this week and I caught up with him earlier this morning and I started by asking
00:47him where Trump's new tariffs leaves the EU-U.S. trade deal.
00:51In principle, I guess with this new tariffs, he respects the deal.
00:57And this was also one of my major tasks for this week in Washington to convince everybody, regardless what else
01:07is in the air, that we stick to the deal.
01:10Yet, you know, this, many would say, is arbitrary.
01:14Many would say that Trump is sidestepping Congress, sidestepping the Supreme Court's ruling to find new ways to impose tariffs.
01:22Does that worry you that there will be more fresh rounds of levies targeting the EU again?
01:29I think you are quite right.
01:31So Trump and the administration are looking always to solutions for some kind of basis.
01:39So now this forced labor issue so that we as Europeans are not respecting the fight against forced labor.
01:46It's crazy.
01:46We have a wonderful legislation, even stronger than the United States has.
01:51But nevertheless, it's not my job to judge about that.
01:55I guess the courts in the United States will judge about that.
01:58And I hope that after the midterms in November, the Congress will take over a little bit more, like it
02:06is written down in the Constitution of the United States.
02:09Article 1, paragraph 8, trade policy is in the hands of the Congress.
02:16So I hope this will give also additional stability.
02:20The U.S. administration has fiercely criticized an EU decision to fine Google under its digital rules yesterday.
02:29Jameson Greer, the trade representative, saying this jeopardizes the EU-U.S. trade deal,
02:35calling also for a ceasefire, suggesting that the EU-U.S. are in some kind of trade war.
02:41Do you fear more retaliation now from the U.S.?
02:45More or less, in all of my talks here in Washington, this DMA and DSA, the digital regulation in Europe,
02:54has played a role.
02:56And there was a little bit of fear that because of the fine against Google, this tariff regime starting today
03:05would change.
03:07Luckily not.
03:08But the statement from Jonathan Greer was quite clear, and a lot of others talked in the same direction.
03:20But, of course, for us, it's not mixed.
03:23So we have the tariff, the deal of Scotland, and we have some regulation where everybody, not only U.S.
03:30companies, but also Europeans, whatever, Indian companies, has to respect it.
03:36And this I try to make clear as well.
03:39But nevertheless, DMA, DSA is in the focus in the United States.
03:45And to be honest, I expect that some action will come.
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