Politics.be - Europa's geniaal antwoord op Bush's protectionisme

Zoals al in een ander topic geopperd viert het protectionisme van de VS onder Bush weer hoogtij. Vooral dan in de staten die belangrijk zijn voor de verkiezingen. Vooral merkbaar bij de nieuwe landbouw- en staalsubsidies/taxen. Meer info in de topic http://forum.politics.be/viewtopic.php?t=7312 .
Maar nu laat de WTO Europa toe 2.2 miljard extra taxen op Europese producten te heffen. En de EU kiest ... die staten waar de president met zijn taksen sinterklaas heeft gespeeld en die belangrijk zijn voor de verkiezingen. Misschien moeten de EU nu ook nog de productie van stemcomputers subsidiëren. Kwestie van de Amerikanen een groot welvaartskadoo te doen.

Uit "The Economist":

Citaat:

. Within a month, the EU is threatening to retaliate with up to $2.2 billion of tariffs of its own. The hit list includes Harley Davidson motorcycles and Carolinian textiles. It also includes orange juice and other citrus products from Florida, where Mr Bush’s brother, Jeb, is governor. According to Joe Klein, a journalist, the list prompted Mr Bush to approach Romano Prodi, president of the European Commission, at a summit and ask: “Why are you attacking my family?”

...

More important than votes in Congress, however, are votes in the 2004 election. The EU may not be after Mr Bush’s family, but its proposed sanctions do look like a fairly naked attempt to shift his electoral calculus, jeopardising jobs and votes in swing states, such as North Carolina, Wisconsin and Florida. Some congressmen resent such threats: if the EU acts, they want Mr Bush to tighten, not remove, the tariffs against European steel. And tariffs are not the only weapon in the protectionists’ arsenal. In July, a senator from West Virginia instigated a review of America’s anti-dumping laws, which could result in much stiffer penalties for importers if the price they receive for their steel is deemed “unfair” (ie, cheap).

http://www.economist.com/agenda/disp...ory_id=2206255