The EU has asked the World Trade Organization for permission to impose tariffs on $11.2 billion worth of US goods that would hammer farmers, coal producers and fisheries.
As if the economic fallout from the novel Corona-virus pandemic weren’t enough, a series of trade battles have redoubled the United States’ economic woes in recent weeks.
Like everywhere else around the globe, the USA has seen a severe downturn in nearly every economic sector and soaring rates of unemployment as the country shut down in the face of COVID-19.
But just when the nation has been reopening and it looked like the country’s economy was slowly beginning its long road to recovery, new politically driven troubles have arisen.
This week the New York Post reported that “The European Union wants to slap tariffs on American industries that are politically near and dear to President Trump and congressional Republicans this election year.
The impact on the energy industry could have particularly dire ramifications, as the U.S. energy sector has already been hammered so hard by the pandemic. Coal in particular has had a brutal year.
A quick search engine search reveals nothing but doom and gloom for the industry, with headlines including “Renewables surpass coal in US energy generation for first time in 130 years” from the Guardian.
“Coal’s Decline Continues with 13 Plant Closures Announced in 2020” from Scientific American’s E&E Energy News platform, and “The U.S. Coal Industry Is Declining Irreversibly” from Oil Price.com.
The lengthy trade war between the United State and the European Union that can all be traced back to a prolonged dispute over aerospace subsidies.
“The WTO gave the US a $7.5 billion award last year over the EU’s illegal subsidies for European plane builder Airbus,” writes the Post. “Europe now wants to retaliate with the new tariffs after the WTO found the US illegally subsidized Airbus rival Boeing.”
The United States’ trade woes are not limited to the current spat with the EU. The nation is also embroiled in yet another trade war with China, this one more directly related to the pandemic.
While the two superpowers, China and the USA have been trying to leverage a deal, the relations have been rocky at best.
In the meantime, it remains to be seen how far the EU will go with its proposed tariffs on coal and other U.S. goods.
According to many experts, coal is doomed regardless, but any chances of resilience will almost certainly be squashed by trade restrictions.
Oil Price. com / ABC Flash Point Trade News 2020.
The death of the US hegemony is looming @ the horizon?
Fighting two trade wars at the same time is too much for the evil empire to sustain?
As long as the US dollar functions as the main reserve currency, Washington can impose sanctions on other opposition countries.
Until the point of no return has arrived, playing catch in most categories?