European Union ready to slash 96% of tariffs on all goods imported from the USA.
56 replies, posted
[quote]The European Union will offer to lift tariffs on nearly all goods imported from the United States as part of negotiations towards the world's largest free-trade deal, people familiar with the proposal have told Reuters.
The offer will be made on Monday, a week ahead of face-to-face talks between EU trade chief Karel De Gucht and his U.S. counterpart Michael Froman in Washington, they said.
The European Commission, which handles trade issues for the EU's 28 member states, will tell the United States how far it is willing to open its markets, while U.S. officials are expected to do the same.
Officials familiar with the EU's proposal have told Reuters the European Union will offer to lift 96 percent of existing import tariffs, retaining protection for just a few sensitive products such as beef, poultry and pork.
"This is just the first step, but it sends a message that no sector will be completely shielded from liberalisation," said one person involved in preparing the EU offer. The official declined to be named because of the sensitive nature of the talks. Two other European officials confirmed the offer.
Tariffs between the United States and the European Union are already low, and both sides see greater economic benefits of a transatlantic accord coming from dropping barriers to business.[/quote]
[url]http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/02/06/uk-eu-usa-trade-exclusive-idUKBREA151A120140206[/url]
Excellent, more trade!
Now maybe ya'll will be able to buy PC hardware for reasonable prices!
Hope everything goes well! This sounds really fucking amazing
[editline]7th February 2014[/editline]
[QUOTE=TestECull;43820987]Now maybe ya'll will be able to buy PC hardware for reasonable prices![/QUOTE]
No kidding :'(
This is great. I just hope, for the sake of Europeans health, that food is not included in the deal.
[QUOTE=TestECull;43820987]Now maybe ya'll will be able to buy PC hardware for reasonable prices![/QUOTE]
Isn't most of it coming straight from China anyway? :v:
[QUOTE=Awesomecaek;43821056]Isn't most of it coming straight from China anyway? :v:[/QUOTE]
I'm certain that there's a good deal of hardware that comes from the US. Though it's probably made in China initially.
[QUOTE=TestECull;43820987]Now maybe ya'll will be able to buy PC hardware for reasonable prices![/QUOTE]
Except not because 99% of PC parts come from Asia, and have come from Asia for almost 15 years. I don't think anyone manufactures motherboards in the states anymore, Super Micro was the last holdout until they switched to China Inc. probably 5-6 years ago.
While stuff is designed in the USA, it's built in Asia and shipped from Asia directly to the EU. The EU would have to eliminate trade tariffs with China, Singapore, Taiwan, etc. to lower the cost of computer parts. But I really doubt that's going to happen when the last time I checked, people over there were pissed about dangerous cheap Chinese goods and were trying to increase tariffs or outright ban some Chinese stuff from entering the market.
[QUOTE=Tosadalis;43820992]Hope everything goes well! This sounds really fucking amazing[/QUOTE]
That's what they said about NAFTA and look how many tens of millions of people that shit piece of legislation fucked over.
That's good.
Some of the American stuff my local Tesco stocks is really nice, but it's like £6-7 for a pack of cereal....fuck those prices.
[QUOTE=TestECull;43820987]Now maybe ya'll will be able to buy PC hardware for reasonable prices![/QUOTE]
Just sometimes I wish we were member of EU
Doesn't this mean US companies can sue EU countries for having harsher safety standards (ie: poisonous chemicals) than the US?
[QUOTE=Xakoro;43821098]Doesn't this mean US companies can sue EU countries for having harsher safety standards (ie: poisonous chemicals) than the US?[/QUOTE]
I don't think anything like that will be changed. A free-trade agreement just means that goods will be able to cross from the US into the EU(and vice versa) without tariffs. I believe it also means that most items will no longer be subject to customs checks(substantially lowering the cost of shipping goods) and import quotas(the US for example has set quotas on how much sugar and raw textiles can be imported).
Overall, a free trade agreement will drastically reduce the cost of importing goods to one another. If a free-trade agreement is successful enough, we may some day soon start to see retailers electing to sell US or EU made products instead of Chinese.
The free trade pact may involve a deal about "investment insurance" that's generally put in place in trading pacts with unstable countries where expropriation or similar is an actual threat.
Coincidentally international companies will also use this to challenge democratically decreed laws in court, sometimes putting profits before the benefit of the public or the environment.
A real life example is how Phillip Morris the tobacco company has sued Australia and Uruguay for voting for putting warning stamps on cigarette cartons or how Gabriel Resources threatens to sue Romania for 4 billion dollars if they don't show a green light to their mining operations (that would allegedly produce a lake of cyanide). Last year companies won about 70% of these cases with the loser paying the high international court fees.
Thankfully both Phillip Morris and Gabriel Resources aren't getting anywhere with their claims but the system can obviously be abused. I'm pretty hopeful that the treaty will withhold details and limitations on investment insurance and that it's a good treaty but this is just the underlying threat.
Woo More money
[QUOTE=Gordy H.;43821167]I don't think anything like that will be changed. A free-trade agreement just means that goods will be able to cross from the US into the EU(and vice versa) without tariffs. I believe it also means that most items will no longer be subject to customs checks(substantially lowering the cost of shipping goods) and import quotas(the US for example has set quotas on how much sugar and raw textiles can be imported).
Overall, a free trade agreement will drastically reduce the cost of importing goods to one another. If a free-trade agreement is successful enough, we may some day soon start to see retailers electing to sell US or EU made products instead of Chinese.[/QUOTE]
According to [url=http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-us-eu-transatlantic-free-trade-agreement-tafta-big-business-corporate-power-grab/5352885]this link,[/url] my worries are valid. I'd be happy to see them debunked though.
[QUOTE=ah!panic;43821052]This is great. I just hope, for the sake of Europeans health, that food is not included in the deal.[/QUOTE]
Don't worry, even if it is, your stuff will still be higher quality. American products make regular use of chemicals and additives that are banned in the European Union.
[QUOTE=Xakoro;43821235]According to [url=http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-us-eu-transatlantic-free-trade-agreement-tafta-big-business-corporate-power-grab/5352885]this link,[/url] my worries are valid. I'd be happy to see them debunked though.[/QUOTE]
I wouldn't quote Global Research. Despite their innocent sounding name, they're pretty much a conspiracy theorist website. They're 9/11 'truthers', among other things.
But anyway, the website alleges that the free-trade agreement is just an attempt by corporations to further to gain more power by utilizing the free-trade agreement to launch law suits against governments to loosen industrial and import laws. This is a pretty silly idea, as it implies that the EU will be willing to simply throw away decades of hard-fought trade legislation and allow American corporations exert their own regulations on them. I'm certain this will absolutely never be allowed by the European public.
Likewise, if a corporation from the EU tried to force EU regulations on the US, many Americans would go fucking berserk. "Foreigners" trying to dictate American trade regulations? It would never, ever work.
Any free-trade agreement between the US and EU is likely to have measures in place that ensure corporations continue to follow and abide by local regulations. It's the only way such an agreement could work.
[QUOTE=TestECull;43820987]Now maybe ya'll will be able to buy PC hardware for reasonable prices![/QUOTE]
It will kill the electronics\pc market in the uk.. Horray!
I don't think this is good, this means we might import American goods who are cheaper but do not uphold European Standard and ethics, GMO is an example.
[QUOTE=Crypptic;43821447]I don't think this is good, this means we might import American goods who are cheaper but do not uphold European Standard and ethics, [B]GMO is an example[/B].[/QUOTE]
Oh bugger off with the genetic scare stuff. We already use and grow GMO in the EU which is little to no different to the same GMO crops done in the US. Only difference is they have a hardon for CORN.
I know Finland is going to somehow get around this. "Cheap" isn't a word that's allowed here.
I may go to prison just for saying that. For 3-5 times longer than rapists and serial killers.
[QUOTE=TestECull;43820987]Now maybe ya'll will be able to buy PC hardware for reasonable prices![/QUOTE]
Hah. Hahah. Why would retailers decrease their prices when they could just keep the higher profit margin for themselves?
Ah, USA. A most mysterious trade partner. Open your gates so I can unlock your secrets and exploit your riches.
[QUOTE=Sword and Paint;43821440]It will kill the electronics\pc market in the uk.. Horray![/QUOTE]
No it won't.
Shipping costs.
VAT is the killer for us if you're ordering as a private individual.
[QUOTE=Jodern;43821095]Just sometimes I wish we were member of EU[/QUOTE]
lel, just drive over to Sweden once in a while then
[QUOTE=Reagy;43821528]Oh bugger off with the genetic scare stuff. We already use and grow GMO in the EU which is little to no different to the same GMO crops done in the US. Only difference is they have a hardon for CORN.[/QUOTE]
Still think you should take the rules and ethics into account, I hope the US can uphold the same moral values as EU members have (or are pressured) to do so that they don't get an unfair advantage against especially European farmers who treat their farms and husbandry according to fair and good moral standards.
Please feed the already low regulated corporate monsters, especially that 1%
They will love to increase prices just to take a little more from you.
Having little to no tarrifs / duty from coutries on the same economic level such as EU / USA works most of the time.
Having free trade with places like China/India and other developing countries where labour costs are miniscule is what destroys, rapes and pillages local work.
globalization wooo
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