European Union ready to slash 96% of tariffs on all goods imported from the USA. - Polidicks

[QUOTE=Satane;43822003]Why? You guys are doing fine on your own.[/QUOTE] Norway has FTA with the EU, free movement and all the perks everyone else has in the EU.

[QUOTE=Satane;43822003]Why? You guys are doing fine on your own.[/QUOTE] Norwegians are Europeans and friends, joining together for the mutual benefit of all is a good idea. [editline]7th February 2014[/editline] [QUOTE=Brandy92;43822110]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.[/QUOTE] Free trade is largely what drove the rapid economic development of India and China, and now they are starting to outsource themselves.

Hopefully we'll get some good model cars and don't have to rely on e-Bay and hobbyshops which sell everything 4x as expensive.

Meanwhile taxation for foreign products will go up. Beneficial to the local governments :yarr:.

just spent £1800 on pc parts. I don't know which of them were imported but gODDAMN

[b]WAIT[/b] Does this mean I'll finally be able to import Irn Bru?!

[QUOTE=ewitwins;43824594][b]WAIT[/b] Does this mean I'll finally be able to import Irn Bru?![/QUOTE]Not the formulation used in the UK, no; some of it's ingredients are not approved by the FDA. There is already a kind suitable for US regulations imported in the US afaik.

[QUOTE=ewitwins;43824594][b]WAIT[/b] Does this mean I'll finally be able to import Irn Bru?![/QUOTE] Irn bru, Buckfast and North Sea oil, Scotland's main exports

Best thing about this is I'm very fond of this Black Cherry 'soda' that was imported from the US and it cost an unpleasant £1.70 from Tesco... Maybe I will soon be able to afford this habit [QUOTE=ewitwins;43824594][b]WAIT[/b] Does this mean I'll finally be able to import Irn Bru?![/QUOTE] Assuming you're allowed the apparently dubious additives, unlike Canada :v:

[QUOTE=Brandy92;43822110]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.[/QUOTE] Free trade almost multilaterally benefits everyone because everything sorts itself to be the most cost-efficient while maintaining the highest quality. We just see the illusion of "oh god, trade with [insert country here] is destroying our economy!" Tariffs only really serve to hurt economies. They protect businesses locally that might otherwise be hurt by the larger, global economy. But in reality if we just have to preserve an otherwise unprofitable venture by hurting a whole sector of the market (via tariffs that keep a product more expensive than it otherwise would be), we are doing more harm than good. In this way tariffs attempt to stop a product from being so cheap that our own businesses can't compete. The reality with this is that if our companies can't compete they should either reinvent their own competing product or otherwise adapt to the changing market. If they can't do that there is no point in them surviving, and we shouldn't waste resources by putting these poor-performing companies on a life support system.

[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, GMO is an example.[/QUOTE] I'm pretty sure American companies will be held to the same standards for anything they sell in Europe. As a result, this could mean positive changes in the US as many companies will probably adopt European standards, as it's cheaper. It would be similar to when California banned a particular carcinogenic caramel coloring, so Pepsi changed their product nationwide.

Does this mean that shipping rates are cheaper or vat or what? Like would it be cheaper for me to have a ps4 sent from Amazon in America to me in Ireland or to buy it in Ireland.

[QUOTE=Sobotnik;43820980][url]http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/02/06/uk-eu-usa-trade-exclusive-idUKBREA151A120140206[/url] Excellent, more trade![/QUOTE] Finally, Europeans can now afford my dildos! That's what we do here in the U.S. we make dildos

I wonder if the US will respond in kind by removing or reducing some of their taxes, like the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tax]Chicken Tax[/url] (which was created in response to European tariffs on US foods), which taxes the shit out of SUVs and pickups made outside North/Central America.

So wait, does this mean that European products will be cheaper here in the states?

Now we can export 96% more freedom.

So does this mean that those stupid price conversions that consoles get will now (technically) not exist?

[QUOTE=Jodern;43821095]Just sometimes I wish we were member of EU[/QUOTE] I think there's norway that's gonna happen very soon.

Won't surprise me at all if Sweden will still keep taxing shit up the ass and even if they don't all stores will still keep the prices the way they are, since now it still costs the same for the consumer but they get more of the profits and then finally, they will raise the prices slowly. Like a few years ago there was a lot of buzz about tax reduction for restaurants, all over restaurants were advertising "lower prices!!!" and in the end it is just the same and even costs a bit more. Maybe I'm just pessimistic about how Sweden will always and forever remain overpriced. Maybe, just maybe things will get cheaper, I highly doubt it though.

[QUOTE=Saber15;43828151]I wonder if the US will respond in kind by removing or reducing some of their taxes, like the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tax]Chicken Tax[/url] (which was created in response to European tariffs on US foods), which taxes the shit out of SUVs and pickups made outside North/Central America.[/QUOTE] It better, I want a VW Amarok

[QUOTE=SgtTupelo;43821606]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] you're fucking dead mate, nice knowing ya rip in peace sgttupelo ????-2014

[QUOTE=Swebonny;43821684]Ah, USA. A most mysterious trade partner. Open your gates so I can unlock your secrets and exploit your riches.[/QUOTE] your avatar fits so hard it hurts

I like how when Europeans discover our junk (sometimes regular) food, proclaim it delicious, but complain about the price. NOW I HAVE NOTHING TO LIKE ANYMORE. :(

[QUOTE=ewitwins;43824594][B]WAIT[/B] Does this mean I'll finally be able to import Irn Bru?![/QUOTE] This isn't a completely free trade agreement like the EU trade agreement. This is a non tarif agreement mostly. Which means that goods which can already go in can go in cheaper, but those that don't pass trough a number requirements will still be barred. [QUOTE=tinhead50;43825071]Free trade almost multilaterally benefits everyone because everything sorts itself to be the most cost-efficient while maintaining the highest quality. We just see the illusion of "oh god, trade with [insert country here] is destroying our economy!" Tariffs only really serve to hurt economies. They protect businesses locally that might otherwise be hurt by the larger, global economy. But in reality if we just have to preserve an otherwise unprofitable venture by hurting a whole sector of the market (via tariffs that keep a product more expensive than it otherwise would be), we are doing more harm than good. In this way tariffs attempt to stop a product from being so cheap that our own businesses can't compete. The reality with this is that if our companies can't compete they should either reinvent their own competing product or otherwise adapt to the changing market. If they can't do that there is no point in them surviving, and we shouldn't waste resources by putting these poor-performing companies on a life support system.[/QUOTE] To be honest the issue with free trade to china and india isn't as much that they can make some stuff cheaper, but that, particularly China, did a lot of dumping of certain goods.

[QUOTE=tinhead50;43825071]Free trade almost multilaterally benefits everyone because everything sorts itself to be the most cost-efficient while maintaining the highest quality. We just see the illusion of "oh god, trade with [insert country here] is destroying our economy!" Tariffs only really serve to hurt economies. They protect businesses locally that might otherwise be hurt by the larger, global economy. But in reality if we just have to preserve an otherwise unprofitable venture by hurting a whole sector of the market (via tariffs that keep a product more expensive than it otherwise would be), we are doing more harm than good. In this way tariffs attempt to stop a product from being so cheap that our own businesses can't compete. The reality with this is that if our companies can't compete they should either reinvent their own competing product or otherwise adapt to the changing market. If they can't do that there is no point in them surviving, and we shouldn't waste resources by putting these poor-performing companies on a life support system.[/QUOTE] Every developed nation to this day has had very high tariffs and protectionist policies at the same time that their economies were growing rapidly. South Korea used to be a resource driven economy and was not developing very well. Had they not protected their own companies we would not have Samsung today, and the South Korean economy would be nothing like what it is today. Free trade only works for nations that are already developed because they have a fairer footing for competition. A large foreign company is going to have more power, resources, more innovative research teams, and better legal teams, the foreign company will easily takeover the smaller domestic company and simply hire some local workers as has been the case very often.

[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] that does not mean the food will be able to be sold in EU now, EU has a law of what chemicals are allowed and what isnt, corn syrup being one that is banned in EU