‘US tariffs to harm its own interests’, German industry groups warn: report

Berlin, July 22: German industry groups on Sunday, July 22, warned that the tariffs that the US recently imposed or threatened to impose would harms its own interests, Reuters reported. The warning came ahead of a meeting between European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker and US President Trump.

On June 1, the US imposed tariffs on European Union's (EU) steel and aluminium and now, Trump has threatened to extend them to cars and their parts. Juncker was set to discuss trade with Trump during his visit to the White House on Wednesday, July 25.

Dieter Kemph, chief of Germany's BDI industry association, told Welt am Sonntag daily that it was wise for the EU and US to carry on with their talks, Reuters added.

"The tariffs under the guise of national security should be abolished," Kempf was quoted as saying, and he added that Juncker required to make clear to Trump that the US would only hit itself with tariffs on cars and their parts.

Kemph said the German auto industry employed more than 118,000 people in the IS and 60 per cent of their production was exported to other nations from the US, the report added.

"Europe should not let itself be blackmailed and should put in a confident appearance in the United States," he was quoted as saying.

EU officials, however, sought to reduce expectations about Juncker's possible achievements during his meeting with Trump and downplayed hopes that he would reach Washington with a plan to restore the relations between the trans-Atlantic allies, Reuters added.