Let’s Go

167

April 23, 2019

Published in Frankfurter Allgemeine
(Germany) on 15 April 2019
by Klaus-Dieter Frankenberger (link to original link to original)

Translated from by Mallory Matsumoto. Edited by Denile Doyle.

It’s about time that the EU member states agreed to trade talks with the United States. But France’s vote against it could turn out to be the writing on the wall.

Finally, some good news, even if it’s not entirely without nuance: The EU member states have agreed to negotiate with Washington to reduce tariffs on industrial goods. It’s about time, and not only to reduce political tensions surrounding the economy, but also because there hasn’t generally been much to celebrate about trans-Atlantic relations as of late.

If an agreement can be reached soon, it would be a good thing − and not only for the economy, international politics or relations with allies. It would also be good for Germany. However, Congress is probably not thrilled that agricultural products have been exempt. And France’s vote against it could turn out to be the writing on the wall.

French President Emmanuel Macron may have been influenced by anger about the U.S.'s withdrawal from the Paris climate accord and a desire to not expose an Achilles’ heel to his domestic rivals before the EU elections. But by doing so, he’s added to the political spheres in which things aren’t exactly running smoothly between Paris and Berlin.

Na dann los

Es wurde Zeit, dass die EU-Mitgliedsstaaten den Handelsgesprächen mit Amerika zugestimmt haben. Dass Frankreich dagegen votiert hat, könnte sich allerdings als Menetekel herausstellen.

Endlich eine erfreuliche Nachricht, wenn auch keine, die gänzlich frei von Zwischentönen wäre: Die EU-Mitgliedstaaten haben Verhandlungen mit Washington über den Abbau von Zöllen auf Industriegüter zugestimmt. Das wurde auch Zeit, und zwar nicht nur, um handelspolitisch auf Entspannung zu schalten, sondern weil es, ganz generell, im transatlantischen Verhältnis zuletzt nicht viel zu bejubeln gab.
Sollte es gelingen, umgehend eine Übereinkunft zu erzielen, wäre das eine gute Sache – und das nicht nur wirtschafts-, außen-, und bündnispolitisch. Es wäre auch gut für Deutschland. Allerdings dürfte der Kongress nicht davon begeistert sein, dass Agrargüter ausgenommen sind. Und dass Frankreich gegen die Verhandlungen gestimmt hat, könnte sich noch als Menetekel herausstellen.
Den Präsidenten Macron mögen der Ärger über Amerikas Austritt aus dem Pariser Klimaabkommen geleitet haben und der Wunsch, vor der Europawahl seinen Gegnern im Land keine offene Flanke zu bieten. So aber ist zu den Politikfeldern, auf denen es zwischen Paris und Berlin nicht rund läuft, ein weiteres hinzugekommen.

This post appeared on the front page as a direct link to the original article with the above link .

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