EUROPEAN tariffs are on average much higher than those in the US. Experts are anticipating a considerable increase in trade restrictions - but is the US the driving force here, or do we need to rethink global trade anew?
Such thoughts consumed the writers of Hapag-Lloyd's commentary blog 'Insights' on the occasion of the US Independence Day, when three experts addressed the question and the economic situation in the US and Europe at the head office of Hapag-Lloyd on Ballindamm in Hamburg, Germany.
US Consul General Richard Yoneoka in Hamburg opened the panel discussion by evoking the long-standing connection between Europe and the United States - and by mentioning that disputes with the respective sitting US presidents are also part of this history.
He also appealed to see this as the right time to negotiate in order to get to the bottom of the trade imbalance. 'If we do not rethink our trade strategy now, we will have to do it at a later point in time - and that possibly under unfavourable conditions,' said Mr Yoneoka.
The following comments are highlights from the theses of the participants:
Ifo Centre for International Economics in Munich director Gabriel Felbermayr: 'The USA's real problem is its debt of approximately US$20 billion. This debt cannot be satisfied through a modified trade policy alone. And yet this seems to be one of the set screws for the American policy at present time.
'However, I believe that the escalation we are currently seeing is necessary to find a solution to the problem,' said Dr Felbermayr.
Peter Rashish, director of the Geoeconomics programme of the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies (AICGS) at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore: 'Donald Trump's administration is currently testing whether becoming less dependent on imports would be beneficial to the USA. They are trying something that no other US government has done before. We are therefore witnesses to a big experiment.
'Nevertheless, the social changes taking place cannot be explained through the economic situation alone. Rather, many changes in the job market and production are being catalysed by new technologies and digitalisation. In order to overcome this challenge, we do not need an ideology but rather a clear strategy,' said Mr Rashish.
Said Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) senior fellow Jacques Pelkmans: 'Europe is currently going through a difficult but also very fascinating period. The tariffs imposed on Europe by President Trump are, in my opinion, irrational and do nothing to solve the actual problem.
'However, Germany also reacted with irrational tariffs - affecting, for example, American cars for which there is barely any demand. Trump's irrationality is dangerous because it could put us in a dilemma like in the 19th century when trade and foreign policy were intertwined with each other yet there were no global rules.'
Such thoughts consumed the writers of Hapag-Lloyd's commentary blog 'Insights' on the occasion of the US Independence Day, when three experts addressed the question and the economic situation in the US and Europe at the head office of Hapag-Lloyd on Ballindamm in Hamburg, Germany.
US Consul General Richard Yoneoka in Hamburg opened the panel discussion by evoking the long-standing connection between Europe and the United States - and by mentioning that disputes with the respective sitting US presidents are also part of this history.
He also appealed to see this as the right time to negotiate in order to get to the bottom of the trade imbalance. 'If we do not rethink our trade strategy now, we will have to do it at a later point in time - and that possibly under unfavourable conditions,' said Mr Yoneoka.
The following comments are highlights from the theses of the participants:
Ifo Centre for International Economics in Munich director Gabriel Felbermayr: 'The USA's real problem is its debt of approximately US$20 billion. This debt cannot be satisfied through a modified trade policy alone. And yet this seems to be one of the set screws for the American policy at present time.
'However, I believe that the escalation we are currently seeing is necessary to find a solution to the problem,' said Dr Felbermayr.
Peter Rashish, director of the Geoeconomics programme of the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies (AICGS) at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore: 'Donald Trump's administration is currently testing whether becoming less dependent on imports would be beneficial to the USA. They are trying something that no other US government has done before. We are therefore witnesses to a big experiment.
'Nevertheless, the social changes taking place cannot be explained through the economic situation alone. Rather, many changes in the job market and production are being catalysed by new technologies and digitalisation. In order to overcome this challenge, we do not need an ideology but rather a clear strategy,' said Mr Rashish.
Said Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) senior fellow Jacques Pelkmans: 'Europe is currently going through a difficult but also very fascinating period. The tariffs imposed on Europe by President Trump are, in my opinion, irrational and do nothing to solve the actual problem.
'However, Germany also reacted with irrational tariffs - affecting, for example, American cars for which there is barely any demand. Trump's irrationality is dangerous because it could put us in a dilemma like in the 19th century when trade and foreign policy were intertwined with each other yet there were no global rules.'