Germany can have no interest in a trade war but must rely on economic diplomacy, Lindner said over the weekend. Meanwhile, EU parliamentarians are pushing for decisive action against the US, and Bernd Lange, head of the Trade Committee, has called for a complaint to be lodged with the World Trade Organization (WTO).
“The US is our valuable partner, but at the same time there is a huge protectionist economic policy,” Lindner told the “Welt am Sonntag”. That is why the federal government must represent German interests in Washington and point out the negative consequences.
The US and Europe are currently at odds over Biden’s multibillion-dollar climate protection and welfare package known as the Inflation Reduction Act, which was passed in August. It provides $370 billion for climate protection and energy security – including subsidies for electric cars, batteries and renewable energy projects “Made in the USA”.
The subsidies are met with massive criticism in the EU. It is feared that European companies will be disadvantaged and important sectors of the economy will migrate. On a recent visit to the United States, French President Emmanuel Macron described Washington’s measures as “super aggressive” and warned: “These decisions will divide the West.”
(SDA)